


Cat's Cradle

by rog



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Genre: AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Slow Burn, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-24 20:02:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22003684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rog/pseuds/rog
Summary: Local magician Mr. Mistoffelees meets a cute, mysterious guy during one of his magic performances.
Relationships: Mr. Mistoffelees/Rum Tum Tugger
Comments: 78
Kudos: 224





	1. The Rum Tum Tugger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI GUESS WHO'S WRITING A NEW MULTICHAPTER FIC  
> it's me. and it's this.
> 
> Anyways. This isn't a human AU. They've got the ears and the tail, but they also live in houses and wear clothes. Misto has a smart phone. The amount of fur will be left somewhat vague because I am a coward.
> 
> Uh, yeah, I'll try to update frequently. This isn't going to be really long, but it'll at least have a few chapters. Hope you enjoy!

“Is this your card?” 

The little girl wearing a bright pink princess dress squealed with joy and nodded, grasping the playing card between her fingers. Her ears- a pair of off-white cat ears, twitched in her excitement.

Misto took the card back and put it back in the pack. Then, he started to put it into his bag, together with all of his other magic stuff. Around him, a child’s birthday party was going on, specifically the party of the little girl from earlier. Little kittens were running around everywhere, getting their fancy princess dresses and superhero costumes dirty in the slightly muddy garden.

Mr. Mistoffelees, that’s what he called himself. The Marvelous Mr. Mistoffelees. He was a magician-for-hire, available for birthday parties and other such things. Occasionally, a local elementary school would hire him to perform a show for the kids during a holiday, but that was about it. It was just a side gig, but he loved doing it. There was something magical about seeing the awe on those little kids’ faces when he managed to make a plush rabbit appear out of thin air.

He smiled to himself as he finished putting the last of his stuff in his bag. After he was done, he would go and say goodbye to the little girl’s parents, and if he was lucky they would tip him, and he could go by the coffeeshop on his way home. He was in the mood for something with vanilla. But before he could do that, he noticed someone walking towards him, and he turned his head, ready to answer a child’s question about how he managed to get the exact card the girl had chosen.

But it wasn’t a kid. It was one of the adults he’d seen roaming around the party, helping organize and keep the kids from running off too far. Well, now that he saw him closer, the guy didn’t really look like a grown adult just yet. More like college age, just like him.

“That was some great stuff you did back there.” the man said. He had long, wild hair, and his cat ears were fluffy and orange. As was his tail, although that was striped with black. He had an accent Misto couldn’t entirely place, but he looked like some type of rockstar, with a short fur jacket and black skinny jeans. 

“You think so? Usually the only ones impressed by it are the kids.” Misto said, smiling, and then suddenly stopped, afraid that what he’d said had come out more harshly than he had intended it. He looked up from his bag, and into the man’s eyes, and stuttered out, “Not that there’s anything wrong with liking it!” 

The man began laughing, and put a hand on his shoulder, reassuring him. Only now Misto was starting to notice just how huge this guy was compared to him, with his hand almost covering his entire shoulder. “Don’t worry, I know what you meant. But I’m serious. You kept the kids engaged longer than I expected. You know what kids are like, short attention spans.” 

“I think it’s the mystery that keeps them hooked.” Misto mused. The man let his hand linger a few seconds longer than expected before pulling it back. “What are you doing here, anyways? You don’t look like you’re related to the birthday girl.” 

The man shook his head. “You’re right. I’m not, I just live in the neighborhood. I’ve known l’il Navy Blue since she was born, actually used to babysit her. Her parents said I was invited because Navy insisted, but I think they just wanted help with the party. I don’t mind, though.” 

Misto laughed softly. “I’ll be honest, you don’t exactly look like the type to babysit.” 

The man grinned. “How so?”

Misto felt himself blush, and he was starting to stammer again, not sure how to say what he was thinking without making it any more awkward. “Well, I mean, you look…” 

He vaguely gestured towards the other guy. “You look so… tough.” 

The guy snorted. “You think so?” 

Misto shyly nodded, but didn’t get the chance to say anything, because one of Navy Blue’s parents was yelling something, and the man’s ears perked up. He turned to Misto and said “I’m sorry, but I have to go help them out. Y’know what? Come to the old theatre tomorrow evening. My band will be performing. And then, after our set is finished, we could go out for drinks?” 

The man skipped away before Misto got to ask anything else, like, for example, what the man’s name was. He finished packing up his stuff, said goodbye to the girl’s parents, and looked how the guy from earlier was cleaning a kid’s abrasion after the little kitten slipped and fell on a rock.

On the way home, he decided to go to the old theatre the following day. He knew which theatre the guy had been talking about- everyone knew it. It used to be a big musical theatre back in the day, but it eventually got taken over by squatters, then, a local initiative was formed in the neighborhood to restore it to its old glory. Now, local bands performed there. And, he supposed, he was free the following day, so there really was no reason for him not to go.

Something about the man intrigued him. Maybe it was how self-assured the man had been, not afraid to be called childish for his interests. Or maybe it was his demeanor, all smooth and relaxed. Or his appearance. Next to Misto, the guy was huge. And what could he say? He had always been a sucker for the whole old fashioned punk aesthetic. 

Back at home he took a shower, dried off and changed into pyjamas. Finally, he was all cozy on the couch, just about to switch the TV on and look for something to watch when the telephone rang. Misto frowned. There wasn’t really any reason for anyone to call him at this time. He didn’t have any magic shows planned in the next couple of weeks, and most people he knew well enough just texted him, because they knew how introverted he was. Yawning, he climbed out of his nest of pillows, stretched, and then walked over to the kitchen table, where his mobile phone was.

He grabbed the phone, looked at it, and almost dropped it again. 

The caller ID read Macavity.

Now, Macavity was a former associate of Mistoffelees, one could even say an old friend. But by now, after some things had happened, Misto really didn’t want anything to do with him. And the day had been going so well, too! He’d done a magic show, and he’d only fumbled with the attributes a few times. He’d met a cute guy, and got his favorite iced coffee after. Why did something this small have to ruin everything?

Dejected, he pressed the green phone button.

“Hello?” his voice sounded far too meek for his liking.

“Quaxo.” the voice on the other side of the line drawled, all cocky and satisfied-like. “Glad you picked up the phone.” 

“I told you not to call me that.” Misto said, eyes clenched shut even though there was nothing there for him to see. “What do you want.” 

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that, kitten. I think you know exactly what I want. We should meet up again, soon. Are you tomorrow evening?” Macavity asked, giving the impression that whatever he answered, it didn’t matter.

“Sure.” Misto said, disappointed in himself. Macavity chuckled on the other side of the line. “Very good. See you then.”

The phone call ended, and Misto was left on his own, holding his phone against his chest. He felt like he was going to cry. It wouldn’t have mattered if he’d said he was busy. Macavity would just start laughing and ask what in the Heaviside Layer he could be planning that was more important than the two of them hanging out. 

Misto sat back down on the couch. He was annoyed with Macavity, and even more with himself. Why couldn’t he just stand up for himself? And why did Macavity always have to ruin everything he was planning? 

‘You know what?’ Misto thought, ‘I’m not going. If he wants to hang out with me so badly, the least he could do is to treat me with a little bit of respect.’ 

Misto crossed his arms. That was that. He was going to that concert the next day, and he was going out for drinks with that cute guy he met. And that was that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you like it so far! please tell me what you think, and if I've made any mistakes I could fix, please tell me as well ^_^
> 
> [this used to have a link to my twitter on it but I have since deactivated that account. just didn't feel right. so.. if you want to talk to me I guess we could email? hit me up]


	2. The Old Theatre Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misto goes to see the Rum Tum Tugger's band.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> quick note, I'm only going to be adding the character tags for characters that actually have more than one or two pieces of dialogue. so for now Demeter and Munkustrap aren't in the tags, but they are in the story. If they get more lines later I'll add them to the tags.

It was night, and the old theatre was coming to life. Cats young and old made their way into the old building, which, despite it’s old age, was still well-taken care of. Yes, there had been a time where it had almost been abandoned. But a few cats in the neighborhood decided that a place to come together and have fun was just what the younger cats in the neighborhood needed. So, it got fixed up. Deals were made with local bands, and soon it had become a staple of the neighborhood. 

At the head of it all was old Gus, the theatre cat. He was an old man by now, and walked with a cane, but with that cane he did visit the theatre every single day. He swept the floors, despite others insisting that they could help him. No, he always said, I’ve spent all my life here, so now it’s my turn to do something back.

And he had. When Gus was still young, he was in many a production performed at this theatre, back when it was still a posh musical theatre. Every weekend for years on end the more affluent cats of the city would pay the theatre a visit and watch Gus as Growltiger, a fierce eyepatched pirate cat. As the years progressed, the guests stopped coming. But Gus still had a weak spot for the old theatre. And when he heard that the neighborhood wanted to refurbish it, he immediately joined the effort.

Today. too, he stood at the door, selling tickets for a rock concert that would start in a short while. Cats were making their way inside, and Mr. Mistoffelees joined this line, a bit anxious about the whole ordeal. It had felt great at first, going against Macavity to go enjoy himself, but by now he was thinking up worst-case scenarios. Well, he’d already gone this far, might as well buy a ticket. 

Misto approached Gus, who eyed him curiously. 

“Well I’ll be..” the old cat spoke. “I know you from somewhere, don’t I?” 

Misto smiled, looking down at the ground. “That’s very possible. I used to live around here as a child. Just recently moved back. My name is Mistoffelees.” 

“That’s it!” Gus exclaimed, and squeezed Misto’s stretched out paw in amazement. “Mr. Mistoffelees, the original conjuring cat! You used to put on those little magic shows!” 

Misto felt slightly awkward holding the line up, but also oddly proud that the old man still recognized him after all these years. “Yes, that’s me. I still practice magic, actually. Shows for children, mostly. They still really believe in magic, which always puts a smile on my face.” 

Gus finally let go of his paw. “Well, come on in, go on! Don’t want to hold up the line. You’re in free of charge.” 

“B-But, I don’t want to take money from the musicians!” Misto stammered, as Gus was already handing out tickets to the people behind him.

“All of the money from this show is going to repairs for the old theatre!” Gus exclaimed. “The band’s leader refused to take any money for himself. Now, go on, it’s almost starting!” 

On Gus’s insistence, Misto half-ran through the old theatre’s hallway. There was a long hallway visitors had to walk through, which then took them to a small area where drinks and snacks were being sold. Then, on the right there was a door which took visitors to the main stage. Most cats were already walking through to the stage, and occasionally a strum of a guitar was heard from through the doors, signalling that they really were about to begin. Misto quickly went and bought himself a glass of milk before following the crowd to the stage. 

The stage had been decorated for the band’s performance. Quite a lot of people had come to listen, after all. This band couldn’t possibly be world famous, but it looked like they had quite the local following. There were fairy lights everywhere, And above the stage a big banner hung from the ceiling, with the words ‘The Rum Tum Tugger and the Pussycats’ written on it. Misto wondered if the guy he’d met was this ‘Rum Tum Tugger’ character or one of the aforementioned pussycats. If he did turn out to be the band leader, Gus had certainly made him sound like a good person during their conversation. 

Misto was just about to take a sip from his milk when the lights in the old theatre dimmed and a song was beginning to play. A bass guitar thrummed first, followed by an electric guitar and the drums. Then, a spotlight turned onto the stage, showing the members of the band. 

In the back, there were three cats. Two females, one holding a bass guitar, and one holding a microphone. Then, a male, on drums. And front and center was the man Misto had met at Navy Blue’s birthday party. 

The Rum Tum Tugger himself. 

He was wearing a fur coat again, but this time it was almost floor-length, covered in dots and stripes. He wore a low cut black shirt, black skinny jeans and boots, and a collar with spikes around his neck. 

Misto was enamored. He barely even listened when the man on the stage spoke. His band played behind him, but softly, so everyone could hear what their leader had to say. 

“Hello everybody.” The Rum Tum Tugger said. A few girls near the stage shrieked when they heard him speak. He pointed at them, and winked. “So nice to see everyone managed to make it. We’re the Rum Tum Tugger and the Pussycats, and we’re going to rock your world tonight.” 

More shrieking from the front row. Misto snorted. What a cheesy line. The Tugger continued his speech. “I’ll introduce all of our members real quick, and then we can begin. These two lovely ladies here are Bombalurina and Demeter, my bass guitarist and background vocalist. And this here is my dear brother, Munkustrap.” 

The drummer rolled his eyes and Tugger blew him a kiss in response. He then walked back to the front of the stage, and started to sing.

Needless to say, he was a real rockstar. He was all old-school, with the wild hair and the only half-ironic hip thrusting every couple of minutes. He was really into it, which made it far more fun to watch. The band clearly had fun with eachother. And though they obviously weren’t professionals, the music was still surprisingly good.

Misto was genuinely enjoying himself. This wasn’t his usual style, but he was having fun, and was looking forward to having post-concert drinks later. he hoped that the Rum Tum Tugger hadn’t forgotten their date. Well, not date, but… Misto wasn’t entirely sure what it was, to be honest. He was just going to take it one step at a time.

Again, his mind drifted to Macavity. Right now, he should have been at a pub a couple miles away, where Macavity liked to meet up. Mac was probably getting antsy now. He probably had a couple of missed calls. He couldn’t check, though, ‘cause he’d purposely left his phone at home. He knew himself too well. If he had the means, he would be checking his phone throughout the concert. And that wouldn’t be good at all. It would actually be quite rude to the other visitors.

Finally, after a couple of songs, Tugger stopped singing. Misto could hear him panting through the microphone now that there wasn’t any background music. “Thank you all so much for coming.” 

Cats began to clap. Misto did the same. All the band members began saying their own names, and every time the crowd would give them a round of applause. But the Rum Tum Tugger was still the center of attention. The band was great, but there was just something about him. A kind of… spark that seemed to light up the whole room. No wonder so many people in the audience were giving him heart eyes.

After one more round of applause people were starting to leave the old theatre. Misto nervously made his way over to the stage. He didn’t want to invite himself up, so he stood leaned against one of the tables near the stage, and listened to hear if Tugger was coming down yet. 

“Guys! You all did amazing. I am so proud of you.” Misto heard Tugger say. The two girls giggled, while Munkustrap folded his arms. 

“It was fine. But nothing spectacular. If we ever want to become famous, we have to work a whole lot harder.” Munkustrap said. 

Bombalurina rolled her eyes, walking over to Tugger. She put a hand on his arm, and patted him in order to comfort him. “Oh, c’mon, it went great. Actually, I think it was amazing. Tugger certainly was.” 

Munkustrap began getting up from behind the drums, putting his drumsticks in a bag and preparing to jump off the stage, when he noticed Misto and stopped in his tracks. Munkustrap’s first instinct was to turn around to Tugger, and ask, “Who’s this guy?” 

Misto was already starting to stammer out a reply, but Tugger saw him and smiled brightly, holding his arms wide. “That, my dear friends, is Mr. Mistoffelees, the original conjuring cat.” 

“You remember the tagline.” Misto said softly. Tugger chuckled, jumping off the stage and onto the floor. 

“I’m very glad you came. After we parted ways, I realized I never even introduced myself, sorry about that.” Tugger said. Misto waved it away. “It’s alright. I managed to get here, didn’t I?” 

“You sure did.” Tugger said, and smiled. He lingered for a few seconds longer before turning to his band members. “I’m going to take this magnificent cat out for a drink. Do any of you guys want to join us?” 

Demeter jumped down next to Munkustrap and tugged on his arm. As they walked out together, she said, “No, we’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” 

Misto wondered what Demeter meant by that. He shot Tugger a worried look, but Tugger just smiled at him, then turned to Bombalurina. “How about you?” 

Misto looked at Bombalurina. Now that he was standing closer to her, he could see what she looked like properly. She looked like a rockstar too. She wore a leather jacket with spikes, and she gave Tugger a flirtatious smile. “Well, I don’t have anything else to do. I can come with you two for a bit.” 

“Good! Good.” Tugger clapped his hands together. He started walking outside, Bombalurina next to him, and Misto behind them, already feeling like the third wheel. While it had been nice to have Tugger hype him up like that, it felt bad knowing Misto himself couldn’t even carry out a conversation. Meanwhile, Tugger and Bombalurina were talking about how the concert went, her tail flicking from one side to the other and occasionally wrapping around Tugger’s waist before quickly moving back.

But, Misto didn’t get to wallow in self-pity for too long, as when they were exiting the theatre, Gus approached him, arms in the air.

“So! Did you enjoy yourself, Mistoffelees?” he asked. Misto smiled and nodded. “I did. Thank you again for letting me go in for free. It means a lot.” 

“Oh, don’t worry about it, kid. You’re a Jellicle. You belong here.” Gus said, and patted him on the shoulder, then looked to the right. “You best get going now. I think your friends are waiting for you.” 

Gus was right. Bombalurina and Rum Tum Tugger had stopped walking, and were watching their conversation take place. Misto said goodbye to Gus and walked back to the others.

“You know Gus?” Bombalurina asked, a sharpness to her tone that Misto couldn’t exactly place.

“Yes. I grew up around here, but moved away when I was still fairly young. He remembered me at the entrance earlier, and let me enter the theatre for free.” Misto explained. Bombalurina furrowed her brow. “You grew up here? I don’t remember you. We’re about the same age, right?” 

“I didn’t really play with others.” Misto confessed. “I was a really shy kitten, so I mostly stayed at home.”

He looked at Tugger, who hadn’t said anything yet during this exchange. It looked like his eyes were twinkling, and he grabbed Misto’s waist and twirled him around. “You’re not just a magical cat, you’re a local celebrity!” 

Misto blushed and looked away, not sure what to do with all the attention he was getting. He softly pawed at Tugger’s arm where he was still holding Misto’s waist. “You’re the leader of a band. Shouldn’t I be saying this about you?” 

Bombalurina scoffed, and Tugger and Misto looked up from what they were doing. She had her arms crossed. “Are we going to get drinks or what?” 

“Right. Drinks.” Tugger said, letting go of Misto’s waist but continuing to walk beside him the rest of the way to the bar. It was fully dark out by now. Street lights lit up their path. Tugger said something about how the bar they were going to was their go-to post-gig place, but Misto only half listened. Again, his mind drifted to Macavity. He was going to be pissed. Maybe, if he went home now, he could still pretend he’d been asleep, and his phone hadn’t been on, or something. 

But then he looked at Tugger, and that idea just disappeared from his mind. He was about a head taller than Misto, he figured.And Tugger was so nice to him, despite them barely even knowing eachother. 

Was he… developing a crush?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy new year for everyone reading this in the new year. Happy, um, old year for everyone not reading this in the new year. hehe. Hope you're all liking it so far! Please tell me what you think and whether I should continue!


	3. Bombalurina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misto meets some new friends. Macavity sends some texts.

At the bar, it was nice and quiet. It was pretty late, so most cats had already gone home. The ones who were still there were either quiet or having a soft conversation with eachother. It was nice.

When Tugger walked in, the bartender recognized him and cheered a bit. “Tugger! Bombalurina! How did your concert go? Shame I had to work, otherwise I would’ve came by and listened.” 

“Alonzo, nice to see you. Hey, what do you think of us performing here some day? At the bar? That way you don’t have to miss it.” Tugger said, sliding onto a bar chair. Bombalurina and Misto followed.

“No way. I don’t want your rabid fans breaking down the door.” Alonzo said. Tugger snorted. “They’re not that bad. They’re just...expressive.” 

“Well, personally, I think they should stop trying so hard.” Bombalurina said, putting an arm around Tugger and twisting her tail against his as well. “Can’t they see you have something better to do?” 

Misto looked straight at the bar and frowned. He’d only just figured out that he probably had a crush on his new friend, and now he found out he might be dating someone? This day had been a rollercoaster of emotions, and it wasn’t even over yet. He took a deep breath. He just had to stop thinking about Macavity for a little bit longer. Maybe he’d come home to zero missed calls and a groggy Macavity calling him the next morning, apologizing for forgetting their meet-up.

“What do you mean?” Tugger asked Bombalurina, and she smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. Misto stared at the bottles of drinks in front of him. Then, at the cat who had slid into his field of vision. The bartender, Alonzo. “You okay, buddy?” 

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking.” Misto said, giving the bartender a polite smile. The bartender nodded slowly. “Alright, alright. Say, what are you doing here with the ol’ Tugger? Sorry if I sound rude but you don’t exactly seem like the type to join a rock band.” 

“Oh, I’m not in the band.” Misto said, and glanced over at Tugger, who was leaned over the bar and pouring himself a drink on the other side of it. Alonzo either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Alonzo was still staring at Misto, trying to get more of a story out of him. “He, uh, invited me for drinks. But I’m not… sure if he was doing it out of genuine interest or politeness.” 

Misto snuck another glance at Tugger, who still wasn’t paying attention to the conversation going on next to him. And thank the stars he was, because Misto had just massively overshared to a complete stranger. But Alonzo just shook his head. “The Rum Tum Tugger does nothing out of politeness. He does things out of the goodness of his heart, even if he wants people to think that he doesn’t.”

With that, he walked over to where Tugger was fixing himself a drink and slapped the glass out of his hand. Tugger threw his hands up and was about to exclaim something, but Alonzo gave him a look that made him shut up and sit down. Alonzo emptied the glass in the sink. “If you truly want to be his friend, you’re in for a rough ride. This guy is notoriously hard to deal with.” 

“Good thing I’m so charming, then.” Tugger rumbled. Misto snorted. Bombalurina threw her arms around Tugger and buried her face in his fur coat. “That you are.” 

After getting their drinks, they all talked more, Misto finally being included in their conversation, and Alonzo occasionally, too. Misto learned a lot about Tugger and his band. Alonzo mentioned kind of having an eye on the other background singer, Demeter, to which Bombalurina squealed in amusement, explaining that Demeter was her best friend in the world and that if she was interested in anyone at all, it would be Munkustrap. This caused Tugger to gasp in surprise. Demeter had, apparently, always been the mature type, who claimed she didn’t ‘do’ things such as crushes. Bombalurina vaguely said something about her once having a boyfriend that wasn’t any good, and that she hadn’t dated since. Tugger shrugged, and said that if she and Munkustrap would ever start dating, they’d have his blessing. Munkustrap was a kind but strong cat, and Demeter was smart and sweet.

It was nice, actually. While at first glance Bombalurina seemed a bit vain, she turned out to be a genuinely nice person. As far as Misto could tell, she and Tugger weren’t in a relationship, but they were close, and Bombalurina was flirting with him a lot. She was flirty to others too, that was just her personality, but there was more between her and Tugger. He just couldn’t figure out exactly what it was. 

The band wouldn’t have another concert for quite some time. Bombalurina mentioned that she, Demeter, and another friend called Rumpleteazer were going away for a couple of days on a girls-only weekend vacation, and that was why they couldn’t have a show that weekend. Tugger pretended to be hurt about not being invited for a bit, stuff like that. The conversations went by so smoothly that Misto hadn’t noticed how late it was until he looked around at a quiet moment and noticed they were the only ones left at the bar.

“I have to go.” he said suddenly. Tugger frowned at him. “So early?”

“I… have business to attend to at home. I had a lovely evening though. Very nice meeting you.” Misto said. He’d directed that last bit at Bombalurina and Alonzo. Alonzo nodded at him and then continued doing the dishes. Tugger put a hand on his shoulder, and Misto could feel the heat radiating from him. God, he wished he could stay. 

“When will we see eachother again?” Tugger asked, playing with Misto’s bow tie just a little bit, poking it with his thumb from where his hand rested on his shoulder. Misto swallowed. “We can exchange phone numbers? And we can think of something later?”

Tugger seemed to like this idea, squeezing Misto’s shoulder before removing his hand to ask Alonzo for a pen and paper. He handed Misto his phone, which was an older model of a rather expensive brand. The screen had several cracks running across it. “You mentioned not having your phone with you. Go ahead and put your phone number in it, it’s unlocked.” 

Misto looked down at the phone. Tugger’s background was of him and his brother, Munkustrap. Munkustrap was in the background, giving an annoyed look at the camera. Tugger was in front of it, blurry and with his tongue stuck out. 

Misto went over to the list of contacts. He’d already put in his number, and began typing in his name, when he stopped. Which name should he put down? Mr. Mistoffelees, or would that be too formal? How about Mistoffelees. No, that would be weird. Misto, then? Or was that too forward? Tugger was looking at him through his eyelashes, sliding the piece of paper with his phone number towards him without breaking eye contact. Misto reflexively went to bite one of his nails, and almost dropped the phone in the progress. Luckily, Tugger caught it.

Tugger looked at the screen, and smiled. “Alright. You were almost done anyways, so I’ll just put in the rest. First name, the magnificent, last name, Mr. Mistoffelees. That’s it, right?”

Misto was blushing again. “That’s going to look weird when you get messages from me. I’m pretty sure it only displays the first name.” 

“Well, good thing I associate magnificence with you, then.” Tugger purred, his nails tapping against his phone. “Alllllright. All done. Will you text me when you get home?”

Misto almost squealed out loud at the idea of Tugger being worried for him. But he didn’t, thankfully. Instead, he said, barely above a whisper, “Y...Yeah. That way we know that we both gave eachother the right number.” 

Tugger smiled, and Misto said his goodbyes and left. As he walked away he stared through the window one last time, and saw Bombalurina resting her head on Tugger’s shoulder.

Back home he did everything as slowly as possible to avoid having to look at his phone. He showered first, blow dried himself and put on the most comfortable pajamas he could find before finally trudging over to the table.

He had several missed calls and text messages. The first couple were just from Macavity wondering why he wasn’t there yet. As time progressed, though, the messages got more threatening, and more and more capital letters were used. 

[21:04]Macavity: Quaxo. Where are you  
[21:16]Macavity: Did you seriously ditch me  
[21:18]Macavity: I am so FUCKING mad right now

Then, two missed calls. 

[21:21]Macavity: answer my calls  
[21:22]Macavity: QUAXO ANSWER YOUR PHONE RIGHT NOW  
One more missed call.

[21:23]Macavity: do you not have your phone or something  
[21:23]Macavity: are you sick  
[21:24]Macavity: you shouldve said. Im not a maniac  
[21:24]Macavity: you know what fuck this

Misto felt incredibly guilty. And the worst part was that he knew that that was Macavity’s intention. He would always act all sad and fragile and Misto would just slink back and do as he said again. He just couldn’t do it. No matter how many times Macavity pulled that trick he kept falling for it. 

He sighed and pressed the call button. Macavity immediately picked up the phone, as if he was expecting the call. Knowing him, he probably was.

“Quaxo.” he said in an annoyed voice.

“Mistoffelees.” Misto corrected. “And.. I’m sorry for not showing up.” 

“Good.” Macavity said, voice laced with satisfaction. “Because you weren’t there to help me, I ended up having to send some other poor sod over. Kid messed it up, obviously. Got himself hurt. His girl’s a mess. You really need to learn that your actions have consequences, huh.” 

The way he said it made it sound like it was all Misto’s fault. He wanted to yell that it wasn’t true, that there was no way he could’ve known that someone would get hurt doing his job, but he didn’t, afraid of the repercussions. “Sorry, Macavity.” 

“Hey, it’s not me you’re supposed to be apologizing to.” Macavity drawled, and Misto could practically see the guy in front of his eyes, making some annoying gesture or playing with a bit of wool wrapped around his finger. He always managed to look so relaxed and so incredibly cocky that it irritated Misto to no end. “You’re lucky we’re old friends. I would never let something like you failing to show up ruin our friendship. I’m just saying.” 

Yeah right, ‘just saying’, Misto thought. But again, he didn’t say it. Misto was going to hang up when Macavity stopped him, almost as if he knew exactly what Misto was about to do.

“I’m glad you enjoyed your concert, by the way.” 

And then he hung up, leaving Misto paralyzed where he stood.

How did Macavity know he went to a concert?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhhhhhhh cliffhanger time sorry about that
> 
> Hope you're all enjoying this so far! I swear Macavity's deal will be cleared up once that part of the story really starts but for now it's mostly focused on Misto and Tugger.. I can't help it they're just so cute together aaa
> 
> pls comment/leave some kudos and tell me what you think so far ^_^


	4. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mistoffelees and Tugger meet up again and Misto meets an old friend. Lots of mystery and gayness in this one (I hope!)

[08:41]Tugger: u never called or texted yesterday  
[08:41]Tugger: so im texting just in case u forgot or died or something  
[08:42]Tugger: hope I have the right number tho otherwise these messages probably sound really weird

[09:03]The Magnificent: Oh shoot! Hi, Sorry about that. I forgot all about it!  
[09:05]Tugger: lol u said shoot  
[09:05]Tugger: makes u sound like an old person  
[09:06]The Magnificent: :-p   
[09:06]Tugger: U USE OLD PEOPLE EMOJIS TOO  
[09:06]Tugger: LOL  
[09:08]Tugger: glad ur alive tho

Misto smiled at his phone. He was just getting ready for another magic show. Another birthday party. He’d gone to the last birthday of the same kitten, too, but the kit was pretty young so he probably didn’t remember it. The family had been nice, though, and tipped super well, so he had nothing to complain about.

He brushed his teeth and his hair, before carefully putting on his magician’s outfit. He had a special suit jacket with little lights built in, that he would activate during his most spectacular trick. With the younger audiences, he would look at his own jacket all confused, and then he’d turn to the audience and exclaim ‘Look! There is so much magic in this room that it turned my jacket magic, too!’. He usually got a few oohs and ahs from that.

His phone made another noise, and he checked it while fumbling with a hair clip. It was from Tugger again, and read something about him having to go visit a friend’s house, asking Misto if he wanted to come along. Misto paused what he was doing and replied.

[09:17]The Magnificent: I can’t, I have a show today. I have to leave in about fifteen minutes, actually. Did something happen?  
[09:18]Tugger: ye  
[09:18]Tugger: her roommate hasnt been home since last night and shes freaking out  
[09:19]Tugger: so im gonna go cheer her up n maybe help search. dunno yet

[09:24]The Magnificent: I would come, but I don’t really know how helpful I would be. Wouldn’t strangers coming into her house make it worse?  
[09:24]The Magnificent: Unless I know her. Is it Demeter or Bombalurina??  
[09:25]Tugger: no! It isnt anyone u know  
[09:25]Tugger: can I call u   
[09:25]Tugger: ;)  
[09:25]The Magnificent: Sure! 

Misto was just tying his shoe when his phone rang. He put it on speaker. “Tugger?”

“Mistoffelees!” Tugger’s voice sounded very excited through the phone. “I have a confession to make.” 

“Well, go on then.” Misto said, a bit out of breath from having stood up too fast after tying his shoes. He went to grab some of his magician’s stuff while leaving his phone on the table. 

“Okay.. basically, I just wanted an excuse to see you again. What can I say, you’re a dazzling guy.” despite the flirtatious compliment, the honesty in his voice was still oddly jarring. “But I do believe you would be able to help, too. You seem like the type to be good at helping people calm down.”

Misto grinned at the odd compliment. “Thank you… but I don’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble. If you really think that I can help, I could come by after my show. But don’t just ask me because you want to see me. It seems unfair towards your friend.” 

It was silent at the other end of the phone, and for a second Misto thought he had been too harsh. But then Tugger began talking again, this time a little bit more uncertain. “I do think you’ll be able to help. This isn’t really my area of expertise.” 

Misto bit the inside of his lip. “I can hardly believe that. You seem like you could do anything.”

“Oh, Mistoffelees.” came Tugger’s wistful reply. “I’ll send you the address.”

After that, they hung up, and Misto had to hurry to the party. It ended up going very well, considering Misto’s underlying nervosity about the rest of the day. The kittens at the party were still very young, and as expected, they adored his jacket trick. At the end, he produced a plush mouse out of a hat, and gave it to the birthday boy as a gift. The happiness in the little guy’s eyes gave him life.

After that, he looked up the address Tugger had sent him, and realized it was very close by to where he was. He figured he might as well go in this outfit, worst case scenario would be Tugger’s distressed friend getting some laughs out of his getup. Which, really, considering the situation, would probably be a good thing. 

The part of town he was in wasn’t particularly rich, and none of the houses had lawns or big back gardens for birthday parties. There were lots of high-rise buildings around, and the address turned out to be in one of them. Misto considered texting ‘I’m here’ to Tugger, but he decided to be brave and rung the electronic doorbell.

“Hello?” Tugger’s voice came through the speakers, although heavily distorted because of the technology’s age.

“It’s Mistoffelees.” Misto said, still not sure if calling himself Misto towards Tugger was acceptable at this point. Although, he had to admit, he had been calling Tugger ‘Tugger’ instead of his full name since the start. Was ‘Rum Tum Tugger’ his real name anyways? Or was it a nickname for his band name? Was Rum Tum his first name or was it a title?

The speakers buzzed and Misto opened the door. Inside was a hallway leading to a set of elevators, and a little sign in between them that read which apartment was on which floor. Misto was supposed to go to the sixth floor, so he took the elevator. While it was going up, he took a few deep breaths. He was going to say hello to Tugger, and help him and his friend. His friend was distressed, and probably needed some reassurance, which he could give. But it would probably be best to ask about the situation beforehand, so he wouldn’t accidentally say the wrong things.

Alright, he could do this. He straightened his back, gritted his teeth, and walked out of the elevator. He was met with another hallway, with barely any light except from a window at the end of the hall. This building seemed depressing to live in. Not because of the poor neighborhood, since Misto wasn’t affluent either, but because of the sheer lack of light. No wonder it would be upsetting to be alone there. Misto hoped the apartments themselves were better.

He knocked on the door he was supposed to be at and Tugger opened the door. Again, Misto was confronted with the fact that Tugger was much taller than him. The tips of his ears almost reached the top of the doorframe, while Misto could only just about touch it with his arms outstretched. Tugger was leaning against the doorframe, and smiled when he saw Misto, but it was a bit of a bitter smile. Like he really was very worried about his friend.

“Hey.” Misto said, unsure of what to say. The girl’s roommate had gone missing, but he wasn’t dead, so ‘my condolences’ wouldn’t be fitting, and neither would ‘sorry for your loss’. Damn it, why could he only think of negative things to say?

“Hey yourself.” Tugger said, standing up straight from where he had been leaning. He took Misto’s hand and lifted it up to his mouth, kissing the top of his hand. “She’s in the living room. Demeter and Munkustrap couldn’t come, and Teazer is really worried. I’m afraid I would only make it worse.”

Misto shuddered at Tugger’s hot breath on his hand. Even after he had kissed it, he hadn’t put it back down again, and was now holding his hand in between them, his large hands dwarfing Misto’s admittedly smaller ones. “You wouldn’t make it worse. Friends are really important in these situations. Just the fact that you wanted to help her and take care of her probably meant a lot already.”

“See, that’s the kind of arcane knowledge that makes me think you’re perfect for this.” Tugger said, and for a second his old charm was back, no longer inhibited by his worry. “Thank you for coming, Mistoffelees. Seriously.” 

“Uh, y-you can call me Misto if you want to. Most of my friends call me that.” Misto hastily said. It was only half a lie. Lots of people called him Misto, but there weren’t many people he would consider his friends. He really wasn’t much of a social person. That was why the past few days had felt like such a whirlwind.

Tugger stared at him with a sad smile. “Misto... I’m grateful that you’ll allow me to do this. But saying your full name also holds a certain charm, doesn’t it? If I say your name it feels like I’m announcing to a crowd that the person I’m with is none other than the original conjuring cat, Mr. Mistoffelees.”

“Oh, stop being so nice!” Misto said a bit too loud. Tugger reflexively squeezed his hand. “I’m- I’m trying to have a sweet friendship moment with you and you’re ruining it by… by being even nicer to me!”

Tugger snorted and started laughing right in Misto’s frustrated face. He then wrapped his arms around Misto and pulled him into a hug, almost cradling him against his chest. He softly rocked back and forth on his heels. “I’m very honoured that you consider us friends, darling. I consider you mine, too.”

Misto felt swallowed up by the tight hug he was wrapped in, but did nothing to fight it. He barely stopped himself from arguing when Tugger pulled away. “Now, go see Teazer. She’ll be wondering where I went.”

“What will you be doing?” Misto asked.

“I’m going for a walk.” Tugger said. “And, er, I’m gonna try to call Munk again.” 

“Alright. See you later.” Misto said and waved a bit before walking down the hallway. 

Rumpleteazer was a cat with orange and black stripes. She looked young, around Misto’s age or maybe even younger, and there was a bite taken out of one of her ears, like she had gotten in a fight. Whatever had happened must have been a long time ago, since the ear had since fully healed, leaving only the scar. She was wrapped in a blanket on her couch, and looked up when Misto came in.

Rumpleteazer’s apartment was far from fancy. It was tiny and dark inside, with an oppressive dark-orange color scheme that made it feel like the walls were closing in. There also weren’t any windows leading into the living room, confirming Misto’s suspicion that this would probably be a very depressing place to live. There were also things like empty food packages just laying around on the floor.

“Quaxo?” Rumpleteazer asked. She had a shrill, high pitched voice. And Misto immediately remembered where he recognized her from. Preschool. Before he had moved away from the Jellicle tribe, Misto had gone to the same preschool Rumpleteazer went to. Furthermore, she had been part of the popular clique, while he was that one kitten that sucked up to the teachers so he didn’t have to participate in group activities. He remembered Rumpleteazer and her little gang whispering to eachother and laughing when Misto turned around to look. He just hadn’t connected the name and the face until then.

“Actually, I go by Mistoffelees nowadays.” Misto said, quickly correcting her. Rumpleteazer nodded, mouth ajar. She finally closed it and eyed him curiously. “What’re you doing back here? I thought you moved to another country or somethin’?”

“No we just… moved far away. It’s a long story. I won’t bore you with it.” Mistoffelees awkwardly stood next to the couch, unsure if it would be socially acceptable for him to sit down. Rumpleteazer didn’t say anything, but that was probably because she was just as confused as he was. “Anyways, I’m not here to talk about our childhood. Your roommate, he’s-”

“I used to bully you, didn’t I?” Rumpleteazer asked, and immediately held her hand in front of her mouth when Misto didn’t immediately deny her claim. “Oh my god. I am so sorry. I was a really bitchy kid.” 

“It’s fine! It really is! I barely remember it!” Misto quickly said. “I haven’t been harboring a secret grudge over the years if that’s what you’re worried about. Tugger just asked me to come over and help since Munk and Demeter are away.”

“Yeah, cos he’s absolute shite with anything to do with emotions.” Rumpleteazer snorted, and then immediately held her hand in front of her mouth. “That was rude again, wasn’t it?”

Misto contemplated that for a moment. Tugger had indeed mentioned this not being his area of expertise, so it made sense. He sighed, because he was pretty curious about Tugger, but this really wasn’t the time. “It doesn’t matter. Just… tell me about your roommate.”

“Alright… well, his name is Mungojerrie. He’s my partner in crime, basically. We do everything together, always did. But he’s… been involved with the wrong crowd for a while now.” Rumpleteazer said. Something sounded.. Off, somewhere in the back of Misto’s head. But he didn’t know what yet. “We fought about it a lot, as you can imagine. He… was called by one of them yesterday evening. They had a job for him, would take about an hour tops. But… he’s still not back.”

“Do you know who these guys are? Maybe we can ask them where Mungojerrie is? It’s a long shot, maybe, but…” Misto began. Rumpleteazer perked up. “That’s a good idea! The only thing is, I have no idea how to contact them. I know the main guy’s name, but I’ve no clue where he lives or what his phone number is. And Jerrie took his phone with him when he left.”

“Well, what’s his name then? Maybe someone else does know how to contact him. It’s worth trying.” Misto said. Rumpleteazer nodded. “You’re right, it’s worth a shot. It’s a pretty rare name, anyways, so I don’t think we’ll run into a lot of dupes. It’s...a funny name, really. I think it’s British or something. Macavity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to have a real posting schedule (once a week or something) but I'd already finished the chapter and I just couldn't wait to post it! I'm REALLY enjoying writing this. Also I definitely headcanon that Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer would live together. It just seems like a very them thing to do ^_^
> 
> Anyhow, please leave kudos if you enjoyed and maybe a comment if you want! I'm very grateful about all the support this story has been receiving, thank you guys so much!!!


	5. Hey, don't you know a guy who knows a guy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misto does Rumpleteazer a favor. Some light is shed on Mistoffelees and Macavity's pasts.

Macavity. 

Misto felt sick to his stomach. The moment Rumpleteazer had mentioned Jerrie getting caught up in a bad crowd, he’d had a bad feeling about it all. But now his fear had been confirmed. Macavity had something to do with it. 

And the worst part was how the timelines fit together. The previous evening, Misto had forgone a job for Macavity to go to a concert. The previous evening, also, Mungojerrie had been called over by Macavity to do a job for him. And now, Misto was safe and sound in Rumpleteazer’s apartment. And Mungojerrie was gone.

That should have been him, on the street with Macavity. At night, in a dangerous part of town. 

He should have been the one that got hurt. 

Well, to be fair, they really didn’t know if Mungojerrie was hurt yet. But what he’d heard so far hadn’t sounded very good. But right now his fears and worries did not matter. He was here for Rumpleteazer, who was looking crestfallen.

Misto cleared his throat. “That name is familiar to me. I will certainly be able to contact him and ask if he knows where Mungojerrie is.” 

“Really? Wait, how do you know him? Are you, you know?” Rumpleteazer asked, first sounding surprised, then suspicious. She said the last part of her sentence in a whisper. “Involved in crime?”

“What? No.” Misto said quickly, maybe a bit too quickly. “I just know someone who probably has his number. I could go right now if you want me to.” 

“I do kinda feel like I’m asking a lot.” Rumpleteazer said, studying her own nails intently. “But what if he’s in danger, or he’s holed up somewhere, and only this ‘Macavity’ fellow knows where he is? You gotta believe me, Jerrie would never just leave. Not without telling me, at least. We’re a team.” 

“It’s fine.” Misto said. “Will you be okay on your own? I gotta go talk to the guy to be able to get the phone number, and I’m not sure if Tugger’s back yet.” 

He felt bad for lying, but he didn’t know what else to do. The situation had gotten a lot more tense very quickly. Macavity was an old friend of his, from before all of this, before he moved away from the Jellicle tribe. And he knew Macavity was involved in bad stuff, but Misto himself liked to stay out of it as much as he could. Cats who ran with Macavity’s crew were bad news. He didn’t want to out himself as one if he wasn’t, even if in some way he was.

It was ironic, really. Macavity always referred to himself as the only friend Misto would ever need, but he was also the one who caused the most problems in his life.

“I’m okay, I can handle being on my own just fine, you know.” Rumpleteazer said, sounding a bit offended. Misto held his hands up and shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. Just… if you wanted me to stay a little longer, I wouldn’t mind.”

Rumpleteazer was silent for a long moment until she spoke again. “Thanks.” 

“It’s fine.” Misto said, and walked back into the hall. Tugger wasn’t there, so he walked out the front door of the apartment and towards the elevators. While he was walking, he nervously glanced at his phone. It would be best for him to just go home and call Macavity from there, even if only to uphold the lie that he had to physically visit a friend. 

There was that knot in his stomach again. He hated lying. Always had, ever since he was young. But he didn’t want anyone to know about Macavity. He was embarrassed to be friends with him, and that made him feel even guiltier. Although, what kind of best friend constantly calls you by the wrong name on purpose? What kind of friend forces you to do dirty jobs for you and does nothing in return?

In the elevator he allowed himself to sigh into his hands for a moment, but then he swiftly recollected himself. _The show must go on._ That counted for magicians, too.

He didn’t run into Tugger on his way home, and debated sending him a text. He was a bit worried, to be honest. He didn’t know Tugger very well yet, but he’d seemed like a loyal friend. The fact that he didn’t quickly return to be near Rumpleteazer again was… out of character.

Oh well, maybe they’d just missed eachother. Anyhow, what he had to do right now was call Macavity. The story about him having to meet up with a friend was a lie, obviously. Misto’s connection to Macavity was, sadly, himself. So he called his old friend and waited for an answer.

“Now that’s not something I expected.” was the first thing Macavity said. Misto sighed. “Yeah, I know, hi. I… need to ask you something.”

“Oh really?” Macavity said, voice dripping with confidence as always. It always made Misto so angry. Like their conversations were jokes to him. “You keep surprising me, Quaxo. Just when I thought you weren’t the type to initiate contact… since, you know, the last time I wanted to hang out with you…”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you about.” Misto blurted out, completely ignoring the usage of the name he no longer went by. It wasn’t like it mattered. No matter how many times he corrected Macavity, he just continued saying something else. 

He heard some shuffling on the other side of the line. “Oh? Really? What is it, are you calling to ask what you missed? It really was nothing special. It’s the principle, mostly.” 

“Where’s Mungojerrie?” Misto asked, and squeezed his eyes shut because quite honestly he was afraid of the answer.

Macavity was baffled, seemingly, because it took him longer than usual to respond. And when he did, his previous self-satisfaction was gone. “How do you know that name? Have you actually been paying attention while we were doing things together?”

Was Macavity playing dumb or did he genuinely not notice that there was no reason for Misto to ask if he didn’t know the guy? “The way I found out isn’t important. What I need to know is where he is, and whether he’s safe or not.”

Macavity clacked his tongue. “Well, he’s not dead, if that’s what you’re asking. Listen, I know you said not to ask but I’m really curious now. Are you two friends?”

“Sort of? I really don’t know at this point.” Misto said, facepalming. “Can you elaborate? Not dead doesn’t necessarily mean out of danger.”

“Alright, alright. I have to say, I kind of like this feisty new you.” Macavity said. “Something happened last night. Ol’ Jerrie was out delivering a package for me. Easy job, honestly. Shouldn’t have been a problem. But somehow a group of… delinquents… found out when and where the package would be delivered and were waiting for him there.”

“He got beat up and robbed?” Misto asked incredulously. 

“That’s the gist of it. He’s holed up somewhere safe now, getting treated. He couldn’t go to a hospital because they could be looking for him there.” Macavity explained. He was speaking with a clarity that was unusual for him. Misto knew that he partook in narcotics occasionally, which could be the reason for his usual relaxed demeanor. It was the early afternoon, which could mean that Macavity had only just woke up and was still sober. 

“When will he be back?” Misto asked. Macavity whistled. “Why are you so invested in this guy? Are you- are you and him dating? No way, I’d know. Are you two secretly dating?”

“No! What- no!” Misto exclaimed, deciding that he didn’t really like sober Macavity. “I just needed to know that he was okay. Besides, I barely know him.”

Macavity didn’t reply for a while. Misto used that time to go over to the kitchen and start preparing a cup of tea for himself. About half a minute must have passed before he heard Macavity’s scraping breath on the other side of the phone. “Good. That’s for the better. He’s bad news.”

Misto wasn’t able to stop himself from snorting. “ _You’re_ bad news.”

“I am.” Macavity admitted. “But he’s worse. Because he’s stupid. I might be a fucking… evil mastermind, but I also know when to shut up. He doesn’t. Watch out around him.”

And just like that, he hung up the phone. Misto stared at his phone screen for a moment. He had… actually liked that conversation. When he and Macavity were younger, they could have conversations that spread on for hours. But as they grew older, and Macavity got deeper and deeper into organized crime, they just grew apart. The worst part was that Misto knew that ‘his’ Macavity was still in there sometimes, because of moments like this. When he was younger, he saw Macavity as this brilliant, unpredictable friend of his. But now he dreaded picking up the phone when the caller ID read his name. 

The water had finished boiling so he made himself a cup of tea and drank it. Then, he got ready to go back to Rumpleteazer’s home. He wasn’t sure if Macavity’s words would make her feel better. On one hand, she would know that her roommate was okay, which she would probably be happy about. But on the other hand, knowing he was hurt could be upsetting. And if she knew he was somewhere, but not where, she might decide to go looking for him. And that wouldn’t be good. Mungojerrie was hiding out for a few days for a reason, if what Macavity had said was true. If the people who robbed him found out where he was, they might be tempted to finish what they had started.

Misto changed out of his magician’s outfit and into something more comfortable. A hoodie that was slightly big on him. He knew there was a chance that he would run into Tugger, and he did want to look good incase he saw him, but on the other hand, Tugger did seem like the kind of person to like cats no matter their looks.

Back in the flat, Misto was greeted by not one but four people. Tugger had opened the door for him, but when he entered the flat Bombalurina and, oddly, Munkustrap were waiting for him as well as Rumpleteazer.

Teazer perked up when she saw him. “Mistoffelees! Did you call yet?”

“I did.” Misto said, a bit awkward with all of the eyes on him. Bombalurina seemed to sense this, and got up, loudly proclaiming that she was going to make drinks for everyone. Misto was told to sit down in between Teazer and Munkustrap, where Bombalurina had been sitting. Tugger leaned against one of the walls. The TV was on, but it was muted.

“Macavity said,” Misto almost cringed at saying the name out loud, “that Mungojerrie is fine.” 

Rumpleteazer sighed in relief, squeezing the pillow she was holding against her chest. Then, she asked, flatly, “That wasn’t all, was it.” 

“...Well, he is fine, but he’s going to have to stay where he is for a few more days.” Misto said. Munkustrap furrowed his brows. Rumpleteazer groaned in annoyance. “But why? Why can’t he just come back, and why didn’t he say anything?”

“He has to stay there for a few more days because there are some people looking for him. People that shouldn’t find him.” Misto said as carefully as possible. It evidently didn’t work, because Rumpleteazer immediately jumped up from the couch. 

“If people are looking for him that means he’s in danger. I have to find him.” 

“No, you shouldn’t.” Misto urged. “If you find him, they’ll find him too. You have to stay here.”

“But I can protect him!” Rumpleteazer exclaimed. “He’s rubbish on his own! I’m the brains _and_ the brawn, you know!”

Misto felt himself getting a bit shaky from getting yelled at, even if she wasn’t yelling at him but more towards him. “It’s… it’s for his safety. After a few days he’ll go home again. Please don’t go looking for him.”

The ‘I don’t want you to get hurt because of me’ was implied, but left unsaid, because nobody would understand what he was saying anyways.

Rumpleteazer thought for a second, then groaned and sat back down, squeezing the poor pillow even tighter. Bombalurina came in with cups of cream. The room was silent for a moment, until Tugger stood up and walked the few feet to the couch, and leaned his hand on Munkustrap’s shoulder, who rolled his eyes. “Well, we know he’s safe. That’s the most important thing, right?”

Everyone hesitantly agreed. “In that case, let’s try not to think about it for now.”

Munkustrap swatted at Tugger’s hand, trying to get him to stop leaning on him. Tugger did, but then sat down on the couch next to him, even though it was clearly only meant for three people at a time. Misto felt himself blush at the contact, Tugger’s leg pressed tightly against his. Tugger didn’t seem to be affected. 

“I just want to see him again.” Rumpleteazer said softly. “He really is an idiot. If it were me in his situation, none of this would’ve happened.” 

Misto looked at the ground. If only Teazer knew how similar their situations were. 

Bombalurina coughed and everyone looked in her direction. She stood in front of the couch, a bit awkwardly because there weren’t any places left for her to sit. “Sorry, I didn’t hear any of what you said. Jerrie is okay?”

Misto was about to answer but Rumpleteazer did it for him. “He’s fine, yeah. He’s so fucking stupid. I miss him so much.” 

“What happened, anyways?” Bombalurina asked. She was looking at the door and back at Rumpleteazer again, as if she was expecting someone. Maybe Demeter. Apparently, if Munkustrap went somewhere, Demeter was never far behind. Maybe now that he was there and Demeter wasn’t, Bombalurina was expecting her to come in at any second.

“He got in trouble with some dude called Macavity. He’s like, a petty dealer or something, I dunno.” Rumpleteazer said. Bombalurina’s mouth fell open and she swiftly covered it with one of her hands. She then whispered something, even though everyone in the room could just hear her clearly. “Macavity? That’s Demeter’s ex!” 

“What?” Misto asked aloud. And then, all eyes were on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay okay I swear it will all be revealed next chapter when Misto explains how he knows Macavity! Sorry that Tugger wasn't in this one much! I felt like Misto had to do this part on his own. but he's going to be in the rest of the story a LOT so prepare for that :D It's like the calm before the storm. except less menacing, I hope.
> 
> Hope you're all still enjoying this! I sure am enjoying writing it!


	6. Childhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misto explains. Tugger listens.

Misto had a lot of explaining to do, and he accepted that. So he unstuck his leg from Tugger’s on the couch and closed his eyes. “I…” 

He swore he was planning on saying it, but now that everyone was listening he just couldn’t do it anymore. He stood up, and started making his way to the door. He tried to take a breath but he just couldn’t do it. Instead he made this horrible choking noise and started coughing, barely able to keep himself from falling onto the floor. He made it out of the door and somehow managed to walk to the elevators before falling onto his hands and knees. He gagged on his own breath, and clawed at his chest trying to get himself together again.

“Mistoffelees?” 

Tugger. Misto’s eyes widened and he sat up, back still to the rockstar. If it had been anyone else, Bombalurina or Munkustrap, he would’ve been able to tell them everything was fine, and that he just needed a breather. That he would explain everything later.

But Tugger’s hand was warm on his shoulder and he just couldn’t fight it.

“Macavity used to be my best friend.” he mumbled and turned around to see Tugger’s reaction. Tugger looked confused, and Misto couldn’t believe he was still hot with that expression.

“And he’s the guy Mungojerrie has been working with?” Tugger asked. Misto nodded. “He’s… well, he used to be a normal guy. Well, normal. He was always a bit weird, but not like this, I swear. He was just my friend. And I didn’t have many friends as a kitten, so I jumped at the opportunity, I guess.” 

“Well, what’s the problem then? You don’t have to be embarrassed about having used to be friends with someone, as long as you-”

“I still talk to him often.” Misto blurted out. “We hadn’t talked for years at one point, but then he started calling again. He said he heard that I moved back here, and he wanted to meet up. I figured it would be fun, you know, for old time’s sake. I should’ve seen the red flags, though. Everyone always talked about him like he was dangerous. Never to me, but I heard them talking about him like he was some kind of monster. And I just ignored it, because I figured they just didn’t know him as well as I did.” 

“But you were the one who didn’t know him well.” Tugger added.

“Yeah, exactly. That time when I met him he looked different. His… his face is all different now, and he got so thin, and he looked so dirty… and I’m pretty sure he’s addicted to, well, something. He said he needed my help. That there was something he needed my expertise for, a job.” 

“What did he make you do?” Tugger asked carefully.

“He…” Misto began. “He asks me to do stuff for him all the time. Mostly the same thing Mungojerrie had been doing. Bring packages to addresses for him. I’m sort of well known around the neighborhood, so he figures that nobody would suspect me. It’s… actually my fault Mungojerrie got hurt. I was supposed to go that night, but I wanted to go to your concert so badly that I ignored Macavity’s calls.”

He looked up at Tugger again, still afraid the man would turn on him. But he didn’t. What he saw instead were eyes full of pity. He wasn’t mad, on the contrary. He looked sad. Worried for him. 

“Macavity… has some kind of grip on me.” Misto said. “He’s known me since I was a kid. So he knows exactly what makes me tick. And he frequently abuses it so I’ll do things for him. When I moved away, I eventually realized it and tried to distance myself from him. I even changed my name. Mr. Mistoffelees isn’t my original name, you see. It used to be my stage name when I was a little kid, and I just… got attached to it. Anyways, I thought I was over him. But he saw I was back in our old neighborhood and...took me right back. Like nothing changed. And I suppose it hadn’t, not really.” 

Misto looked at the floor and felt absolutely pathetic. All spelled out like this he felt especially stupid. He’d taken so many measures to stay away from Macavity, and then proceeded to walk right back into his trap. Tugger crouched down next to him.

“Oh, darling..” Tugger sighed, and pulled Misto against him. Misto yelped as he was tugged against the other man’s chest, the fur of his fur coat tickling his nose.Tugger had his arms around him, and Misto’s eyes were wide open, not sure how to comprehend this situation.

“It’s alright. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Tugger said. Misto half-nuzzled Tugger’s chest, then sat up a bit again. Tugger’s arms were still around him, and they were still sitting in the middle of the hallway. “I’m just kind of stuck at the moment. I don’t know what I should do, if I should stop talking to him, or try and fix the friendship, fix him? I guess? Although that probably wouldn’t be very polite. Oh, Tugger, he used to be so nice!”

“I believe you.” Tugger said, arms in the air in mock-defense. Misto was glad when he put them back down, snug around Misto’s waist. “But if he isn’t anymore, and your friendship is bringing you more pain than anything else, maybe it’s best to just… stop talking to him.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Misto said, and allowed himself to bury his face in the fur once more. Tugger smelled so nice. Like coffee and something vaguely flowery. Probably some kind of cologne he’d never smelled before. Tugger stroked his back, gently and low. Misto closed his eyes. “I just don’t know what to do. I know I have to decide it for myself but I just can’t.”

“Well, I’ve said what I think.” Tugger said. His hand was still running over Misto’s back, fingertips dipping into the small of his back. “You can always ask others for advice. Family, maybe?”

“I’m not in contact with any of them anymore.” Misto sighed. “Besides, I’m not sure I would want to tell them that my best friend is essentially a crime lord.”  
Tugger chuckled lowly. “That is indeed an important thing to take into consideration. Hey, hold on, you said you used to live here, right?”

Tugger had separated from him but their legs were still tangled together. Misto had all kinds of feelings that he wasn’t sure how to deal with. “That’s right.”

“Yeah, I already thought it was odd. I don’t remember you. But, that’s not important, I bet you know Jennyanydots and Old Deuteronomy.”

It was like some kind of dam in Misto’s mind had broken, and memories came flowing in. Old Deuteronomy was a name he vaguely recognized, with a scruffy face linked to it. But Jennyanydots was a whole ‘nother story. “Jennyanydots. She used to take care of me as a baby. I’m sure of it. She’s a tabby cat, isn’t she?”

“I knew it.” Tugger said, sounding self-satisfied. “Yeah, she pretty much raised everyone around here. She’s still around nowadays. I bet she would be overjoyed to see you again. You can ask her for advice. Maybe the choice will be clearer to you when you hear opinions from several people. Plus, she’s the perfect person to ask about things like this. She used to fix every single playground dispute. We’d all run over to her house and explain the situation to her, and she would rule who should apologize.”

Misto smiled at the concept of Tugger and his friends as kittens. Especially Tugger, all fuzzy. He wondered if he’d been singing at that age already. He also wondered what Tugger did in his free time. In Misto’s head he seemed like some kind of mysterious bad boy, but in reality he would probably be glad to talk about it if someone asked.

Okay, he definitely had a thing for Tugger. A thing that was getting harder and harder to handle, especially if they were going to become close. Tugger seemed to really like him, but Misto doubted it was as anything more than friends. And even if it was a more-than-friends thing, Misto had no idea how to act on it. Really, what he should be doing was keeping his distance. But it felt so nice to be wrapped in his arms, all warm and soft and terrifying. He liked it too much to stop.

“Oh god.” He said out loud, at the floor. Tugger, next to him, looked at him. “You don’t want to go see Jennyanydots? I bet she would love to see you again.”

“No, it’s not that, it’s…” Misto began. ‘Don’t say it’ was repeating in his head over and over, driving him just about mad. “Ugh. You… you…”

He clasped his hand of his mouth, and gave Tugger a pained expression. Tugger looked at him, confused with his brows furrowed. “Am I doing something wrong?”

“No! No, you’re…” Misto said, his voice gradually getting softer as the sentence progressed, “You’re doing everything right, actually. And I don’t know how to deal with it.” 

Neither of them said anything for a while. Misto swallowed audibly. Tugger’s leg was still draped over his. He didn’t remove it. Misto didn’t want him to.

“Mistoffelees?” Tugger asked, and Misto peeked at him through his fingers. “Have dinner with me tonight. Just you and me. I know a nice place. How does that sound?”

Misto bit his own lip so deep it actually hurt. He nodded with his hands still covering his face. Tugger smiled, satisfied with his answer. He then stood up, and stretched his legs, briefly standing on his tiptoes before standing upright again. He looked at Misto once more, and stuck out his hand, ready to help him up. 

Misto took his hand. Standing, he was too afraid to look Tugger in the eyes. Tugger didn’t force him to. He just patted him on the shoulder. “Go see Jenny. I’ll text you tonight. Don’t worry about explaining all of this to the rest of the guys right now. I’ll tell them that you still need time to think about it. Okay?”

“Okay…” Misto whispered. Tugger opened the door to Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie’s apartment. “Bye.”

“Bye.” Misto said softly. And then he was alone again. He stood completely still for a few more moments, before the most horrible looking dopey grin formed on his face, through the tears. Tugger had just asked him on a date. And this time, there was nothing that could get in their way. No Bombalurina coming with them, no Macavity begging for attention, nothing. Just him and Tugger.

Having dinner.

He took a deep breath, and started walking towards the elevators. He could do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is shaping up to be super long o: I know where I’m going with it, though, so it won’t be going on endlessly. Sorry for the short chapter. Hope you’re all still enjoying it ^_^
> 
> also omg misto is the most oblivious guy in the world I SWEAR


	7. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misto does some soul searching. Tugger does a romantic gesture.

Jennyanydots lived in a darling little home on the corner of a street. Across from her house was a park with a big playground in the middle of it. Her house was filled with little bits of nature, too. Potted plants everywhere, and a small garden in the back, with tomatoes and strawberries and other edible plants.

Jennyanydots was what you would call an objectively good person. She loved children, and used to work with them as an elementary school teacher. She had since retired, though, but her influence on the kittens had been so positive that many of them still visited her. She babysat for many people in the neighborhood, so there were usually kids hanging around her place at all hours of the day. If kids were fighting, or someone got hurt, it was her house they went to first. She was a lot like Mr. Rogers, in a way.

But her generosity didn’t just stop with children. In her free time, she helped out around the old people’s home nearby. The old people’s home, also known as Saint Scarlett’s Home for Old Cats, was owned by a cat called Jellylorum, who did most of the caring herself. Jennyanydots saw that she was having trouble doing everything on her own, and started helping out. She would care for patients, there, who all thought she was a delight, but she would also bake little baked treats for Jellylorum, who liked being the one who was being taken care of for a change.

Jennyanydots was also the person who took care of Mr. Mistoffelees before he moved away in his youth. He remembered her as being a kind lady, a kind of aunt to him. He remembered sitting on the big couch in her living room, watching some kind of kids TV show while Jenny baked cookies in the kitchen. He remembered her letting him help with the dough, and how he carefully licked cookie dough off his claws afterwards. 

The house was still exactly how Misto remembered it. There were kids’ drawings hanging on every part of the wall, and there was a deflated football in the middle of the living room table. When Jennyanydots opened the door for him, she looked confused at first, but when she recognized him she perked up, eyes all bright. The next few seconds were a flurry of cheek pinches and Jennyanydots cooing about how much he’d grown since she last saw him. She then proceeded to pretty much drag him inside and set him down on the couch, while she went to make them both a cup of tea.

Finally, she came back, and settled down opposite of him in a big comfy chair. In front of him was a cup of tea on a saucer. Next to the cup of tea was a home baked cookie.”I can’t believe you’ve grown so much. The last time I saw you, you were just a little kitten. I guess runt would apply but you were the only one in your nest, weren’t you?”

“Yes, it was just me.” Misto said. It was a mildly uncomfortable subject. Most cats had several brothers and sisters, like Tugger and Munkustrap, Tantomile and Coricopat, and many others Misto knew. But he had always been on his own. His parents never told him why, and he didn’t talk to them anymore, so it wasn’t like he could ask. It wasn’t unheard of for kittens to die when they were born, but if he had indeed been the runt, you’d figure he would be the first one to go, not the last one standing.

“Tell me, how are you doing.” Jennyanydots asked. She was wearing a big warm indoor coat, and seemed to kind of melt into it. Misto wrapped his jacket tighter around him. “Well, that’s… kind of why I came here. I need some advice about a situation I’m in, if that’s alright.”

“Oh?” Jenny looked worried. “Is anything wrong?”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Misto quickly said. He paused. “I have to… decide whether or not to cut a certain friend out of my life, and I’m having trouble with it. We’ve always been close, but now…”

“Oh, dear.” Jenny said. “That is a tough situation. Have you two been fighting a lot?”

Misto appreciated that she didn’t instantly ask who it was. “No, not exactly, he’s just changed. A lot. I don’t think he would recognize himself. We used to be the best of friends, but now he’s doing all this stuff, and he keeps calling me… but I don’t think he misses me. I think he misses the past, and I just happen to be associated with it.”

He’d said the last part of that sentence a bit more bitterly than he’d expected of himself. He supposed the situation had been affecting him more than he wanted to admit. Macavity used to be the only person who would hang out with him. He used to be small and odd, and he never knew how to play any of the playground games. He was that weird kid who liked magic tricks more than catching birds. But Macavity kept talking to him, kept inviting him to go play, things like that. Misto remembered one time where he had yelled, exasperated, asking why the hell Macavity hung out with him. Macavity just said he thought Misto was cool, unlike the others. The others tried too hard to be something they weren’t, he said. But Misto just did his own thing, even if it ended up making him an outcast.

Looking back on it, he wasn’t even sure if Macavity was ever popular. He had seemed popular at the time, being older than the others, and larger. He lived in the real bad part of town, but rather than pity him, people always seemed to think it was cool. Sometimes they asked him if he was in a gang, and he changed his answer depending on who asked. If it was an intimidated little kitten talking to him on a dare, he said yes. If it was a teacher, he shook his head and closed his eyes, saying ‘of course not!’ in an innocent voice. 

“Oh, the poor thing.” Jenny sighed. Misto couldn’t disagree with her. Macavity wasn’t that bad, or at least, he didn’t use to be. He just grew up all wrong. But now his actions were hurting other people, and Misto couldn’t stand for it.

“What do you think I should do?” Misto asked. 

“I’m afraid you won’t like my answer.” Jenny said. “I think your friend needs people like you right now, people who will listen to him and try to help him. But I also think that you need to look out for yourself. If the friendship is hurting you so much that you can’t sleep, that you just spend all day worrying about it, maybe it’s time to stop talking to him. It doesn’t have to be permanent, but taking a break from him might help both of you.”

That made a lot of sense. It didn’t have to be permanent, just a break. After it, Misto could check back in with Macavity, and try to help him. If Macavity actually wanted help, that is. But Misto was afraid that Macavity was too used to his lifestyle by now, and wouldn’t want to change it. He was a very stubborn person.

“Alright, thank you, Jenny.” Misto said. Jenny smiled. “I’m just glad I could help. Now, I don’t know how much time you have, but I’ve been planning on taking a cake over to the old people’s home, and if you’re here anyways-”

“I would love to help.” Misto said. And just like that, it was like nothing had changed.

Jennyanydots measured the ingredients and let Misto whisk everything together. While the cake was in the oven she asked about his love life, and Misto vaguely mentioned that he had his eye on someone. Jenny put her paw in front of her mouth in shock, and asked if it was someone she knew. For some reason, Misto felt more at home in that moment than he had felt in months, and he told her.

“You do. He’s the one who said I should go talk to you, actually.” Misto said. He carefully watched to see if Jenny looked at him any different when he said ‘he’ rather than ‘she’. But it didn’t. She still gave him the same curious smile.

“It’s… Tugger.”

Jenny was silent for a moment, and then moved in, giving Misto a hug. He returned it, albeit a bit confused at her response. She squeezed him against her once before letting go. “The Rum Tum Tugger is a lovely person. I think you two would be amazing together.” 

“Do you really think so? What if he doesn’t like me like that?” Misto asked uncertainly. Jenny smiled. “If he doesn’t like you like that, you will still be able to remain friends. He will still love you just as much as he does now. Being in a romantic relationship with someone doesn’t necessarily mean ‘more’ than a friendship does.”

She paused for a moment. “But, I think he does like you. He dropped by a day or so ago, and he mentioned going out with a friend. He seemed to be really excited. I’d say just try telling him. What’s the worst that could happen?” 

The worst thing that could happen, he wanted to argue back, was that he would be mortified, and embarrassed, and that Tugger would never look at him the same knowing he was in love with him. But he didn’t, because deep down he knew Tugger probably wouldn’t even look at him differently. Tugger was amazing and kind, and that was exactly why he was so scared. He didn’t want to make someone like that feel bad.

While the cake was being baked, they talked about his childhood, Jenny recounting childhood stories he didn’t even remember. She felt bad that he wouldn’t be able to eat any of the cake he had helped her with, so she warmed up some leftovers for him, and he ate yellow chicken curry seated on the couch with a quilt over his legs. He felt just like he used to when he was little, and ran over to her home after some kids teased him again. He remembered trying to get Macavity to join him, but Macavity always scoffed at the suggestion, saying he didn’t need anyone’s pity. 

Eventually, Jenny was getting ready to go over to the old people’s home, so Misto helped her wrap the freshly baked cake in foil, and carried it over to her bicycle while she put her coat on. He waved her goodbye, but not before she wished him good luck once more and pinched his cheek. He walked home with a full stomach and an equal amount of dread and excitement coursing through his veins.

To get ready for their dinner, Misto had to decide what to wear. He had never been particularly obsessed with his appearance, but he took care of himself, and he liked to look good. He wanted Tugger to be amazed when he arrived at the restaurant. But looking at his closet, he realized all of his clothes were either oversized hoodies or magician’s outfits. Well, he supposed Tugger had always seemed to like magicians. Maybe one of the tamer outfits could suffice.

His eye fell on a particular jacket. It was black, and long, reaching down just over his thigh. The fabric was soft and vaguely shiny and there were little pieces of glitter along the chest and arms, subtle but still visible, especially when the light caught them just right. It had been a very expensive jacket, compared to the other clothing he owned, but he had always adored it, and been a bit afraid of it. Clothing that nice almost seemed like a waste to wear on a non-special occasion. But this was a nice dinner, with a nice guy, he told himself. He could wear it just this once.

So he ended up leaving the house wearing this coat, paired with black pants and polished leather shoes. He contemplated a top hat, but decided that it would be too gaudy. Tugger had texted him an address, and had signed it off with a winking emoticon that made Misto fight the urge to giggle out loud. 

He felt a bit small compared to the place Tugger had sent him the address to. It was a very fancy restaurant, with a doorman and a valet service. When he peeked inside he couldn’t see Tugger anywhere yet, so he waited outside. The inside did look beautiful, though. Everything was gold and red, with red carpets and paintings along the walls. The cats at the tables wore long dresses and tailored suits, with golden watches and earrings and lipstick. It didn’t help that the doorman was easily a head taller than him, and was looking at him rather suspiciously.

Just how expensive was this place? The jellicle tribe wasn’t exactly composed of cats who were well-off, with an exception made for people like Bustopher Jones. But he was, indeed, an exception. Misto made a living off doing magic shows for kids, but he didn’t really get much more than that. The economy wasn’t doing great, really. But if it wasn’t for the dilapidated houses, you would barely notice. The people in their neighborhood were nice to eachother, and helped eachother whenever needed. People like Jennyanydots and Jellylorum. 

The point was, Misto wasn’t rich. He didn’t know what Tugger’s situation was, but in any case Misto wouldn’t feel good making his friend pay for everything. But if things were too expensive, he would have to decline, which would be embarrassing. He tried not to think about it, and to put on a calm and collected face for when Tugger arrived but he was sure he was looking like a mess by the time Tugger tapped on his shoulder.

It had started to rain, lightly, and Rum Tum Tugger was beautiful. He didn’t look much different than he usually did, but somehow, in the dark street, only lit by the lights inside the restaurant, he was the most beautiful man Misto had ever met. He was holding an umbrella in one hand, and a bouquet of red roses in the other, which he held out so Misto could take it. Misto was speechless. 

“Y-You brought these for me?” Misto spluttered. Tugger laughed. “Of course. Who else would they be for?”

Misto looked around a bit, and then turned to Tugger, awkwardly attempting to joke. “W-Well, I don’t see anyone else around here…”

Tugger pushed the flowers towards him gently and Misto took them. They smelled soft and sweet, like- well, like roses, but he’d never had them in front of him quite like this. He smiled, and Tugger returned his smile.

“Shall we go inside?” he asked, and Misto nodded, following him to the door. The doorman asked Tugger’s name, cross-referenced it with a piece of paper and then opened the door for them. Inside, it was even fancier than it had looked from the outside. What he hadn’t noticed until now where the beautiful chandeliers hanging above several of the tables. A waiter brought them to a table to the side, away from the busiest part of the restaurant. When they sat down, a waiter came to their table and wordlessly took the bouquet of roses from Misto’s hands. Misto sat there for a moment, perplexed, until the same waiter returned, holding the roses, this time in a vase. Oh, okay. That made sense.

They were given a complimentary glass of water each and two menus, full of all kinds of appetizing-sounding meals. Misto had no idea what to order, so he decided to ask Tugger.

“Hmm..” Tugger rumbled, looking at all of the different meals. “I think you would like the salmon.”

“Well, in that case I’ll try it.” Misto said, forcing himself not to look at the prices. Tugger was wearing a golden ring on one of his fingers. Not a wedding ring, but a big, decorative ring made out of multiple bands. His nails were pulled in, with the tips just visible. The waiter came and went, and Tugger ordered for both of them without pause. Like it was the most normal thing in the world. Their menus got taken away and they were alone again.

“Why did you bring me here?” Misto blurted out. 

Tugger stared at the chandelier above their heads, taking a moment to think. “Because I like you. I think you’re amazing and caring and you deserve something nice to take some of the pressure off from the Macavity situation.” 

“I really messed that one up, huh…” Misto said. “Did your friends have a lot of questions? I hope I didn’t worry them or anything.” 

“No, no, they were very understanding. I told them you’d explain later, and they were happy they’d get to hang out with you again, actually.” Tugger said. Misto frowned. A waiter came by with the Apéritif, freshly baked bread with olives and walnuts to the side. 

“Well I’m glad they like me.” Misto said. Tugger popped an olive into his mouth and said nothing. Misto gathered the courage to make eye contact with him and noticed he was blushing. Tugger, of all people, was noticeably flustered over something. And it brought out the worst in Misto. Misto bent over the table a bit more, closer to Tugger’s face, and asked, “You’re so silent all of a sudden. What’s up, cat got your tongue?”

Tugger choked on the bit of olive he was eating and started to cough. Misto immediately stood up and ran over to his side of the table, kneeling and patting him on the back while he coughed. But the coughing soon turned to laughter. Misto looked up, and Tugger was laughing loudly, trying to keep silent and failing. The whole restaurant was probably looking at them.

“I’ve-” Tugger said, in-between bouts of laughter, “I’ve never been like this with anyone before.”

He seemed to be genuinely surprised about whatever it was. Misto still had his paw on Tugger’s back, and just kept rubbing it because he didn’t know what else to do. “Wh..What do you mean?”

“You.” Tugger said, pointing one finger at Misto and poking him in the chest with it. “You drive me crazy. You know me, I’m a social person. I like making friends. But you… for some reason, I feel fucking… shy around you. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s ‘cause you’re so… magical.”

Misto felt like he was about to start hyperventilating. Since they’d met, he had always seen Tugger as a symbol of everything he wasn’t- handsome, social, extroverted. Yet here he was, stumbling over his sentences. Over Misto, of all people. Misto was too scared to even think about it, afraid he would jinx it. He wasn’t rubbing Tugger’s back anymore, instead holding onto the back of his jacket, afraid he would fall over otherwise. “It’s not- it’s not real magic, you know? They’re just tricks. Conjuring up a bouquet of flowers is only possible because they’re fake flowers that can be crumpled up until it’s tiny.”

It was a stupid line, but Tugger didn’t seem to care. Tugger wrapped his arm around Misto’s back. “You are the magical Mr. Mistoffelees. That’s what you’ll always be to me. I saw you do that show, for those kids. You amazed them, made them laugh. You made a birthday kitten very happy. That’s magic too. I’ve never been able to do that.”

“Yes you have!” Misto exclaimed, even louder than Tugger had been laughing previously. If they hadn’t been the center of attention earlier, they definitely were now. “You’re.. You’re amazing! You’re so cool and suave and… sexy, and you sing in a band! There’s tons of people basically passing out at the thought of you! If anyone here is magical it’s you!” 

They stared at eachother, Misto wide-eyed and a bit desperate, Tugger with his brow raised and his mouth half-open. Then, they both started laughing. Tugger loudly, like everything else he did, Misto high-pitched and hitching. Misto leaned his head on Tugger’s leg and Tugger squeezed his shoulder.

“We’re a mess, aren’t we.” Tugger finally said. Misto, with his head laid down, was only able to sigh contentedly. “Hmmh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, my life has been .. not going great lately so I've mostly been sleeping a lot.
> 
> Hope you're all enjoying! I will try to update soon. if you need to talk to me privately for whatever reason, I put an email address in my bio. feel free to send me something there.
> 
> Please feel free to comment here if you have any questions or suggestions! Comments make me really happy/make me wanna continue writing ^_^


	8. Mistoffelees

The food at the restaurant was delicious. It was a very fancy, expensive restaurant, so waiters were constantly doting on them, bringing sides to their table free of charge since the main meals were already that expensive in and of themselves. Misto tried to get Tugger to let him pay, but Tugger refused, saying this was Misto’s night, and he was allowed to order whatever he wanted free of charge.

Tugger was charming and sweet, and they drank fizzing champagne and ate olives and lobster, caviar and red meat. There was a bit of everything, and the waiters brought them anything they requested.

Misto’s heart was pounding. Tugger liked him just as much as he liked Tugger. They had moved their chairs so they could sit next to each other, and Misto was fighting the urge to nuzzle him. It did feel like this wasn’t the right place to talk, so he was buzzing with excitement, and despite the dinner being lovely, he could hardly wait until they were done eating. It was a weird feeling. On one hand, he wanted to hear Tugger say those words, and he wanted to say them back. On the other hand, he was afraid that when he’d hear them, he’d explode.

After dinner, they ordered desserts, ice cream with hot caramel sauce that was poured onto it by the chef while they watched. It was made into quite a spectacle, and Misto couldn’t help but shudder at the attention they were receiving. Surely everyone had deduced that they were a young couple by now, that had just confessed their love for one another. Maybe they thought Misto had proposed.

Misto watched Tugger pay for it without any problem and breathed a sigh of relief. After that they walked outside. The rain had stopped, but it was dark outside, now, the street only lit by streetlights. They walked, and at one point Tugger put his arm around Misto’s waist, and didn’t move it away again.

“So… what do you want to do now?” Misto asked softly. They were in his neighborhood, which he knew was Tugger’s neighborhood, too. If they would just walk down this street and then to the left, they’d arrive at his house.

“I don’t know.” Tugger hummed. “I can walk you home, I suppose.”

Misto smiled softly. “We’re going to have to talk about this eventually, though. We… like eachother.”

Tugger was silent for a moment, and it felt unbearable to Misto. Then, Tugger put his finger until Misto’s chin and tilted it up so their eyes met. “Mistoffelees.”

“W-What?” Misto said, immediately cringing at his stutter.

“I am dazzled by you. You’re lovely, talented and kind. Not to mention how beautiful you are. It would be an honor for me if you would allow me to kiss you.” Tugger said. How he was able to keep a straight face while saying such things was beyond Misto’s understanding. Misto covered his mouth with his hand and giggled, putting his arms around Tugger and hugging him. 

“That’s so cheesy.” he whispered into the fur of his fur coat.

“Well, what do you say?” Tugger asked, still sounding genuine. Misto felt like he was going to die.

“Yes, of course. Yes.” Misto said, and Tugger did as he had promised.

The kiss was chaste, and only took a second. Yet it left Misto shaken, happy at how he’d overcome his fear of intimacy, at the fact that Tugger liked him back, and everything else. Tugger was significantly taller than he was, so he had to tilt his face up, while Tugger had to bow down. It was probably not very comfortable for either of them.

After their lips parted. Misto reached up to his own mouth, his lips feeling as if they were tingling. Tugger smiled, and Misto smiled back at him. Tugger looked so relaxed, as if he had done this a million times before. He probably had, too. He was probably a very good kisser. Misto wasn’t. He’d briefly tried dating once or twice before, but it hadn’t really worked out. He felt like he had trouble forming deep relationships with people. It probably had something to do with his general social awkwardness. He and Macavity had been close friends, but he hadn’t really had any other friends during that period. Only after Macavity left the picture he was able to start talking to others again.

Maybe Macavity was jealous of Tugger. Misto thought he didn’t have a reason at first, but now he realized that Tugger was indeed taking over Macavity’s place in his life. He had ignored Macavity in favor of Tugger’s concert, and wasn’t willing to help him with his little jobs anymore, instead helping Tugger’s friend when she was in trouble.

“You’re quiet. Is something wrong?” Tugger asked, brushing a stray strand of fur by Misto’s ear. Misto shook his head. It was cold, and he hugged himself a bit to warm himself up. “No, it’s nothing. I’m just thinking about Macavity.” 

Misto saw Tugger’s face drop, and immediately tried to reconcile. “No, not like that. Gross. I just… think he might be jealous of you. Well, maybe not you specifically, but the fact that he hasn’t been getting all of my attention. Jenny said I should talk to him, but Macavity isn’t exactly the type of guy you can just have a conversation with, you know? She also said I should help him, but I think he’s beyond help.” 

“Nobody’s beyond help, darling.” Tugger said. “Especially if they’ve got you.” 

Misto exhaled through his nose. “Don’t flatter me. I’m too nervous to appreciate it.”

Tugger, to his credit, stopped talking for a bit, and they instead walked towards Misto’s home, only talking about how cold it was outside but mostly just enjoying the silence. In front of his house, the tiny ground floor apartment, Tugger took him aside and kissed him. Misto kissed him back, Tugger’s lips soft and sweet against his. They simultaneously opened their mouths a bit wider, and their tongues brushed, before both moving back again, apparently not ready to deepen the kiss just yet.

“So…” Misto began.

“So?”

“Do you want to come in for a bit, or are you going home?” Misto asked. He fished his keys out of his pocket and threw them in the air before catching them again.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t want this night to be over yet.” Tugger admitted. Misto gave him a smile. “Tonight was really nice. Thank you again for taking me to dinner.”

“It’s no problem, really. I enjoy your company.” Tugger said. He had his hands in his pockets. Nobody seemed to be outside except the two of them. The wind blew through the leaves in the trees, making a noise not unlike waves hitting the sand at the beach. Except, in this context, the sound felt completely different. Cold, and slightly lonely, but cozy at the same time. Because Misto wasn’t alone anymore.

“Alright.” Misto said, breaking the silence. Tugger had been looking up at the sky, staring at the couple of stars that were visible in the city. Though most weren’t, what with light pollution and all. “Come in for a second. I’ll brew us some tea, and after that you can go home if you want to.”

The implied ‘you’re also welcome to stay’ was left silent, but they both seemed to feel it.

It was weird, letting Tugger into his home. Almost nobody ever came over, not even Macavity. Macavity seemed to prefer weird, tiny alleyways and dingy bars as meeting places. And Misto didn’t really have many other friends. 

Tugger seemed intrigued by his living space. He took his shoes off at the door, following Misto’s lead, and then proceeded to dart around the small apartment, taking everything in. He seemed to appreciate Misto’s big mirror, the one with the lights surrounding it which he always used when putting on his magician’s costume. He looked at the sparse photos Misto had put on top of one of his closets, the ones with him as an awkward teenager standing next to his family. Misto didn’t like looking at those much anymore. They were bittersweet. On one hand, he liked remembering the good times, but on the other hand it wasn’t fun to know that the people in the picture hadn’t spoken to him in years.

Tugger finally sat down on one corner of his couch, lounging in a manner Misto wouldn’t be able to replicate. Misto walked in with two cups of tea and sat down next to Tugger, with Tugger’s arm behind his back on the back of the couch. They were sitting in front of the TV, but neither of them grabbed for the remote.

“So… when did you know you liked me?” Misto asked softly. 

Tugger chuckled. “Starting with the hard questions, I see. Well… I was intrigued the moment I saw you. The way you did that show for those kids. You were entertaining, and you were… kind, I guess. You didn’t leave any of them out, didn’t mock them. After I got to know you better, I realized we laugh about the same things, and we like the same things. And… then you helped Rumpleteazer when she was scared. Then I just knew, I guess. I don’t know.”

Misto bit his lip, trying to keep himself from getting too emotional. He’d asked only to break the ice, but Tugger’s answer had somehow managed to hit him hard. All his life he’d been trying to get everyone to like him, by dressing up nice and doing everything people wanted to do. He was an absolute doormat, letting everyone walk right over him. To have Tugger cite his kindness as the most important thing to him meant a lot.

“What about me? When did you find out you liked me?” Tugger asked. Misto sat back a little, causing Tugger’s arm to touch his back. He leant into it just slightly, and reveled in the warmth. 

“After your concert when we went to that bar.” Misto said, blushing at how soon into their relationship it had been. “I saw you talking with everyone and… saw you singing and stuff… and you were so cool, and hot, and you seemed so nice…”

Tugger tugged him close, using the arm around Misto’s back to pull him against his chest. “Sweetheart, you really knew that soon? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“‘Cause if you’d reject me I’d probably die.” Misto confessed. He then began laughing. “Heaviside. I’m sorry. I wanted to be sure you liked me too, first. Plus I had a lot going on in my head.”

“I’m not mad or anything.” Tugger said, his voice suddenly a lot closer and a lot sultrier. “It’s just taken us far more time than needed to be able to do this.”

“To do what?” Misto asked.

“This.” Tugger said and turned him around, kissing him again. Here, within the safety of his own home, Misto was more keen to let himself go a bit, deepening the kiss and grabbing at Tugger’s waist. Tugger tongued his way into Misto’s mouth, holding him tight. They made out like that for a moment, when Tugger suddenly lifted him up by his waist and set him down in Tugger’s lap. Their tongues intermingled, and Misto found himself making a rather embarrassing noise. Tugger retaliated by chuckling lowly and sliding his hands over Misto’s sides, making him shiver.

When they parted, Misto was having trouble catching his breath, sitting on Tugger’s lap. He let himself fall onto Tugger’s chest, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

They hadn’t even fully caught their breaths when Misto’s mobile phone rang. 

Sighing, he stood up and made his way to the table. It was Macavity. Misto’s blood ran cold.

“I have to take this, I’m sorry.” Misto said to Tugger, who gave him a worried look. Misto picked up the phone.

“When were you going to tell me.." Macavity began, sounding pissed, "that you have a boyfriend?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter after this.
> 
> sorry for the late upload. my life is really stressful rn and we had a death in the family as well.. it’s just.. a lot. hope this is still good.
> 
> pls leave comments! they make me happy :)


	9. Macavity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misto and Macavity meet up. Tugger does a grand romantic gesture. Mungojerrie is also there.

Misto shuddered.

“How’d you- how do you know that?” he exclaimed. Tugger tilted his head in question, and Misto just shook his head. Macavity laughed on the other side of the line. “Quaxo, Quaxo, Quaxo. Come on. How long have we known eachother now?”

“Since we were kids, but I don’t get how tha-” Misto stammered.

“Exactly. I know you too well. Did you really think you could hide something like that from me?” Macavity sounded angry. Misto took a step back even though their conversation was taking place by phone. Tugger stood up and made his way over to him. 

Misto gritted his teeth. “What’s your point? I don’t have to tell you everything.”

“That’s where you’re wrong buddy.” Macavity said, his voice sounding especially raw when saying the word buddy. “We have been friends since we were kids. I depend on you. I expect you to do whatever I ask, when I ask. You can’t just...fucking...elope with some random guy you met a week ago.”

“I don’t exist to do what you want!” Misto exclaimed. Tugger looked even more worried. “You know what, this isn’t going to happen. We’re either going to talk this out in person or not at all. I think you’ve got some grave misconceptions about our relationship.”

“Wow. alright, okay, I’ll back off. Can you come over now, though? Since I’m not exactly, you know, free all the time. Since I have a business to run, and all that.” Macavity suddenly sounded calm and nice again. It was scary how easily he switched over. Like his anger had been fake, somehow. But it hadn’t been, Misto knew. He’d been at the brunt of it one time too many.

“Fine.” Misto sighed. “Where are you?”

“I’m in a safehouse. I’ll send you the address. It’s the same place your friend Mungojerrie is at, actually. You can walk him home, if you want.” Macavity sounded amused. “I was shocked when I heard you were kissing on some other guy, by the way. I swear, I was sure you and Jerrie were a thing. I almost wanted to tell him, to rub it in a bit after he messed up on his delivery. But I didn’t. I’m not that bad, you know.”

Misto rolled his eyes and groaned. Macavity laughed. “Anyways, I’ll see you here as soon as possible?”

“Yes. Goodbye, Macavity.” Misto sighed. Macavity laughed once more and then hung up the phone. Misto set the phone down on the table a bit too harshly, making the whole tabletop move.

“I assume that was Macavity?” Tugger asked. Misto nodded. “Yep. He’s… he’s been paying someone to spy on me-on us, apparently. Saw us… kissing, and now he’s pissed at me. I’m gonna go over there and tell him to stop. Maybe he’ll listen to me when I’m actually in front of him. As opposed to over the phone, I mean.” 

“Wow.” Tugger said. He patted Misto on the shoulder, and Misto leaned into it. 

“Do you think… he might be jealous of me?” Tugger asked. Misto stood upright again and furrowed his brow. “Why would he be jealous? I mean… do you mean-”

“I don’t mean to assume.” Tugger said defensively. “But… sweetheart, you’ve got to admit, angrily calling you after finding out you’re dating someone else? It’s a bit odd.”

“We’re dating?” Misto asked, hoping to change the subject. Tugger stared at him blankly. Misto sighed. “Okay. Alright. I’m going to go over there, and I’ll ask if that’s the case. If it is… I don’t know. What do you even do when you find out your oldest friend has a crush on you?”

“Depends.” Tugger mused. “Do you like him back?”

Misto thought for a moment, studying his nails as if they had the answers to the universe’s greatest questions written on them. “I do love him. Obviously. He’s always been there for me, ever since I was little. But I don’t… like him. Not like that, anyways. And I don’t like what he’s become. If things had been different, yeah, I think I probably would’ve been okay with dating him.”

After a small pause, he continued. “But things aren’t different. And even if he changed now, I already have someone. So… too bad. For him.”

Tugger gave him a curt smile. “Should I come with you?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Misto confessed. Tugger shrugged. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. And I want to be there if he makes you upset, so I can help you feel better.”

“Awe, thank you.” Misto said, and finally relented. “Okay then. Let’s go.”

By the time they had their coats on and were outside, Misto’s phone went off, letting him know Tugger had sent him a text message. The address was surprisingly close by, too. It was in a nearby street, filled with dilapidated houses which were mostly empty because they were old and moldy. It had come to a head- apparently -when a kid playing outside accidentally walked into a wall and instead of hurting his head tore the whole wall down. The kid was fine, by the way.

Misto was glad Mungojerrie would be outside again, so he and Rumpleteazer could be reunited. He didn’t know either of them super well but he still wished them the best. It was really quite late by now, and when Misto looked up at Tugger he could see his breath form tiny clouds in the cold night air. 

The particular house they stopped at was a small, two floor house. It had a weird, grey-brownish colour, and if you didn’t know anyone was living there, you’d assume it was abandoned. All of the windows were covered up by either pieces of wood or with trash bags and adhesive tape. 

Misto rung the bell, but it didn’t do anything. It didn’t seem like the power was on, anyhow. So he knocked instead. All the while, Tugger stood next to him, which made him feel a lot safer. Nobody here would hurt him, Misto knew, because Macavity was the boss around these parts. But still. 

The door opened, and Mungojerrie opened the door. Mungojerrie looked a lot like Rumpleteazer, now that Misto thought about it. Mungojerrie was taller and broader, but he had the same orange and black striped fur. He even had a bite taken out of one of his ears, too, although his bite was on the other side. He looked beat up. His nose was bruised and he had two bandages, one over one of his eyes, the other covering part of his arm.

“Mistoffelees?” Mungojerrie asked. He then looked at Tugger, and his brow furrowed even further. “Rum Tum Tugger?”

“Sup.” Tugger said. 

“Hi. We’re here for Macavity.” Misto said. 

“Are you two in trouble with him?” Mungojerrie asked. “I think you might be, cos Mac has been talking about you non-stop.” 

“What, about Tugger too?” Misto asked. Mungojerrie shook his head. “I doubt he knows who Tugger is. He only mentioned you were dating someone. Wait. hold on. Are you two dating?”

Tugger and Misto stared at eachother for a second, and then both simultaneously shrugged. “It’s a complicated situation. Don’t tell anyone yet.”

“Alright, I won’t.” Mungojerrie said. “Uh, I’ll let you in now. Watch out in the hallway, there’s some stuff lying around and the lights don’t work.”

“Nice place you’ve got here.” Tugger remarked as Misto started making his way through the hallway. There was light in one of the rooms at the end of the hallway, so Misto assumed that was where everyone was. Maybe there were candles, or the light was only broken in the hallway. 

Despite almost tripping on a bag of empty beer cans, Misto made it over to the room. It was almost dark there, too, except for a few candles standing on a table in the middle of the room. Well, they were candles in name only, since by now they had just formed one huge mountain of wax that dripped onto the table with anyone doing anything about it. There was almost no furniture, except for the aforementioned table, some chairs, some cardboard boxes, and something that looked like a crib.

Macavity was seated in one of the chairs, along with a woman. He looked worse than the last time Misto had seen him. He had always been a bit ragged, but he looked on the brink of death this time. He was impossibly thin, and his fur seemed to be falling off in patches. He had always seemed so huge in comparison to Misto, even if he’d always been a bit thinner than Misto was, but he looked tiny sitting on his chair now. The fur he had left was matted and dusty, his previously bright orange fur now a dull grey. It made his whiskers, which stood in every direction, wildly and snapped, look huge in comparison. The clothing he wore was expensive but tacky. 

“Quaxo.” he hummed.

“It’s Mistoffelees.” Misto said. “My name is Mistoffelees.”

“I know, sweetheart. I know. I’m really sorry.” Macavity sighed. He did sound apologetic, but Misto didn’t actually expect him to try any harder. Mungojerrie walked into the room from the hallway, followed by Tugger. When Macavity saw Tugger he grimaced around the cigarette in his mouth. “Is that…?” 

“The Rum Tum Tugger.” Mungojerrie filled in. Macavity squinted to see him better in the dim light. The woman seated next to Macavity perked up and began making her way over to Tugger. She looked just as fancy as Macavity did, only her fur seemed to be fully intact. She had long, white fur, with big round ears that stood perked up atop her head. She wore a large, long dress, and a handbag, which she was taking a phone out of. She unlocked it, and held it in front of Tugger’s face. “Take a picture with me?”

“Uh…” Tugger began, but before he could say anything, the woman had taken a picture of the two of them together, and then pressed a pen and paper into his hands. “Go on and write down your autograph, honey. Make it out to Griddlebone.” 

Tugger just stared at his hands, perplexed at the actions of Griddlebone. Macavity laughed, short and shrill. “Griddlebone is a bit of a fan of that little band of his, you know. Say, Mistoffelees. I never thought you’d be one of those groupies.” 

Misto didn’t answer. Tugger scribbled something onto Griddlebone’s piece of paper, and then walked towards Misto, joining him in front of Macavity. Macavity exhaled, blowing smoke almost directly into Misto’s face. “Well, go on then. You’re the one who insisted on coming over. Are you mad at me?”

Misto swallowed. “I am, a bit. But most of all I’m worried about you.” 

Macavity eyed him curiously. “You are? Go on, indulge me. Give me a look into the brain of the great Mr. Mistoffelees.”

Every word Macavity uttered was laced with a thick layer of sarcasm. Misto sniffed, trying not to show any emotion. Truth was, he was frustrated. Frustrated, angry, and upset. Upset at what Macavity had become. What their relationship had become. 

“You’re going completely mad.” Misto confessed, not able to look Macavity in the eyes. “You’re… paying people to keep tabs on me. You’ve got this whole… criminal… emperium, or whatever, and you still hang out in an old mouldy house surrounded by people you don’t even like.” 

Griddlebone frowned and looked at Macavity. Mungojerrie cleared his throat uncomfortably. Misto continued. “You look like a mess. You’re balding, and your clothes are hanging off of you, that’s how thin you’ve become. All you do all day is smoke and make your friends do favors for you that you’ll never repay. You insist you don’t need anyone, but obviously crave personal relationships, because otherwise you would have dropped me ages ago. You pretend to be rich, but keep borrowing money off of people. People are scared of you. Not because you’re powerful or terrifying, but because you look like you’re on the brink of death, and people don’t want to catch whatever it is that did this to you! But the truth is, nobody is doing this to you. You’re doing it to yourself. You’re destroying yourself for no discernible reason, and you aren’t even having fun while you’re doing it!”

By the end, he was almost screaming. Tugger put a hand on his back, grounding him a bit. Macavity stared at him, mouth slightly ajar. But then, his mask slipped back into place, a grin forming on his face. “Oh, sweetheart. I never knew you could be feisty like that.” 

Misto gritted his teeth. He had confessed everything he had been thinking about for the past months, only for Macavity to completely ignore it. But he tried not to let it get to him. He focused on what Jenny had said. Try to help him. He needs it. In this case helping him would consist of telling him how he really felt. Who knew, maybe it would make him realize something. 

“Just try to think about what I said.” Misto said, noticeably soft in comparison to his previous outburst. Macavity shrugged. “I suppose I will. But, if we’re airing out our dirty laundry, I have some things to say as well.” 

“I... suppose that’s only fair.” Misto said after a pause. Tugger shrugged. Macavity took one last drag of his cigarette before pressing it out onto the dinner table. 

“You…” Macavity began, “are a coward. You’ve always been too afraid to just talk to people, which, I assume, is why you work with children. They’re less scary. I’m honestly surprised you managed to snare a boyfriend. Although I assume he only went out with you because he felt sorry for you.” 

He turned to Tugger. “I don’t blame you, by the way. He has that effect on people. Makes them wanna take care of him. It’s why I stayed by his side when we were kids. Nobody else would. It was honestly kind of sad.” 

Misto’s expression went from confused, to angry, to sad. That wasn’t what it had been like at all. Sure, Misto had always been introverted, and he’d never been good at making friends. But it wasn’t like he’d been lost without Macavity. What he was saying was just blatantly untrue. They had both enjoyed each other's company, and if anyone was pitying someone else, it was Misto pitying Macavity. But even that wasn’t entirely the case. Misto had loved Macavity. They were best friends. 

Tugger’s fist clenched. Misto looked at him. Tugger looked angry. “How can you even say something like that? No wonder Demeter broke up with you.” 

Oh, right, Demeter. Bombalurina had mentioned that Demeter and Macavity used to date. Misto didn’t remember that, so it had to have been in the time before he moved back to the Jellicle tribe. Tugger probably remembered how it had gone down. 

“Demeter did not break up with me.” Macavity said through gritted teeth. Tugger had clearly struck a nerve. “She wishes it was that serious.”

“That’s not how it happened.” Tugger said matter-of-factly, arms crossed and all. “You came to her house all the time, begging her to take you back. Even though you were too lazy to take her out to someplace nice most of the time.” 

Griddlebone loudly popped the bubblegum she was chewing. “You never take me anywhere nice either, Mac.” 

“Griddlebone, honey-” Macavity started, but Griddlebone turned the other cheek. Macavity was beginning to look desperate. “We’re not even dating!”

Misto bumped his shoulder against Tugger’s arm, a small gesture meant to mean ‘thank you’. Tugger pressed back against him. Misto just wanted it to stop now. He knew ‘his’ Macavity was underneath there at the core, but it was getting harder to see him. Moments of desperation, such as Macavity’s words towards Griddlebone, felt like a knife right in the heart. 

Griddlebone began shoving all of her stuff into her handbag and stood up, brushing the dust from the chair off her dress. The heels she was wearing made her walking stunted as she made her way towards the door to the hallway, past Misto and Tugger, and towards where Mungojerrie stood. Misto and Mungojerrie locked eyes, and the latter gave him an awkward smile and a shrug. Misto returned the gesture and looked back to Macavity.

Griddlebone was entering a phone number into her phone, her long, fake nails clicking against the screen. She pressed the call button and began to talk loudly when the person on the other side of the line picked up. “Oh. My. God. You will not believe what just happened.” 

She walked through the hallway and disappeared through the front door. Misto grimaced a bit as the door fell shut behind her. Macavity was sitting on his chair, slightly bent over and looking at the floor. Misto couldn’t see his face from there, but assumed he didn’t look happy. Mungojerrie coughed uncomfortably.

“What the fuck have I done.” Macavity muttered to himself. His cigarette had fallen onto the ground, still lit. Nobody moved, afraid to interrupt the moment. Macavity sighed deeply, sitting back into his chair. He ran his hand through the fur atop his head. “I fucked up, didn’t I, Misto?” 

Misto’s hands were shaking. Tugger had one arm around him.

“It’s not too late.” Misto said. “You can… go to rehab. You can… get away from it all for a bit… who knows?” 

“You’re still alive.” Tugger added. Misto agreed, and Macavity surprisingly didn’t get mad at Tugger speaking. “Exactly. You can still fix everything.” 

“None of us will be mad.” Mungojerrie said behind them. Misto and Tugger both nodded along. Macavity was staring off into the distance somewhere. When he said something, he more muttered it, to nobody in particular. “It’s a bit late for a redemption arc, isn’t it?”

“It’s never too late.” Misto said, and then sighed. “If you… leave now, and come back when you’re better, I’ll still be here. I’ll wait for you. And then we can be friends again, alright?” 

Another long pause. Tugger squeezed Misto’s side, and Misto leaned his head against Tugger’s shoulder. Finally, Macavity blinked a few times and stood up. “Alright, alright. I’ll do it. I’ll try to. But I won’t promise anything.” 

When he and Misto locked eyes, Misto was sure Macavity could see the hopefulness in his eyes. And he hoped it would be enough to convince Macavity to go along with it. If Macavity got clean, and if he stayed away from the life he was currently in, he could get better. He could be the old him again. When they were kids, going on long walks together, talking about everything. How they used to climb into old cars left at the roadsides, and how they used to build things out of scraps of metal they found, and hugged when they both went to their respective homes at night. Macavity was talented, and funny, and amazing, but right now, he just couldn’t show it to anyone.

After Macavity left, Misto and Tugger walked home together. There was nothing keeping Mungojerrie from going back home, so he left after Misto urged him not to get in contact with any gangs again. Tugger wrapped his arms around Misto’s body and kissed him, softly and carefully.

“You were amazing.” another kiss. “I think you might have saved his life just now.”

“I hope…” Misto said, face in the crook of Tugger’s neck. “I hope he actually goes through with it.” 

[ a long while later ] 

They’d planned a proper party, cake and drinks and everything. There was music, dancing, and someone was grilling hamburgers for dinner. Misto was still a bit surprised at how many people showed up, even though he had helped with the list of invites.

Bombalurina was there, obviously. She was the queen of every party, in a bedazzled red dress and matching shoes. At her side, her best friend Demeter, and Demeter’s new boyfriend, Munkustrap. It had actually been a whole scene, with Tugger and Misto and Demeter and Munkustrap confessing their relationships to eachother simultaneously while Bombalurina almost fell out of her chair from laughing so hard. She already knew, obviously, and refused to tell anyone how.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were there, getting up to their usual hijinks. When Misto had first met Rumpleteazer as an adult, she had been a nervous wreck. But now, she was fully in her element, chasing her friends around and trying to throw handfuls of iced cake into their face. 

Alonzo was manning the bar. When they’d first asked him, he had acted mock-offended, about how despite being a bartender, he was also a multidimensional person who had other uses besides bartending. But when he saw the guilty look on Alonzo’s face, he quickly backtracked, confessing that he’d love to do it for the couple. 

They had invited Gus as well, but he preferred to spend his days out in front of the theatre, sitting in an old chair and enjoying the sun. Besides, he didn’t want to ‘get in the way of all those young’uns’ as he put it. Jennyanydots, however, had been greatly interested in coming by, since she’d have an opportunity to catch up with everyone. 

Tugger looked beautiful, as always. He cleaned up nicely, in a crisp black suit and tie, his hair combed neatly, almost making him look like a lion. Misto in one of his magician’s outfits, since he’d been too busy to buy a suit. Well, it wasn’t the day of, anyways. Just a small celebration beforehand. 

The proposal had been perfect, just like everything Tugger did tended to be. He’d invited Misto to a weekend away, to another city not too far away. Misto had accepted, obviously, and after an evening walk on the beach Tugger got down on one knee and asked if Misto wanted to marry him. Misto yelled, an overwhelming yes, and proceeded to jump at Tugger to hug him, proceeding in both of them falling down. 

Now, they were engaged, and this was their engagement party. Everyone was happy for them. Misto had been worried about Bombalurina’s reaction at first, but she cheered along with everyone, just happy that Tugger had ended up with somebody he truly loved. Now, there were other things to worry about, such as wedding locations and moving in together, but Misto tried to force himself to just relax for now. They were all in the back garden, sitting on lawn chairs or standing around the little makeshift bar Alonzo had created for himself. Demeter and Munkustrap were having a deep conversation together, leaned against the garden fence. 

Misto was just looking around, happy to be surrounded by friends. Tugger was talking to Alonzo, so Misto was alone for a bit, enjoying the moment, when Jennyanydots sat down in the lawn chair next to his.

“Mistoffelees.” she smiled. “I just wanted to personally congratulate you.” 

“Thank you.” Misto said softly. “The past few weeks have been very overwhelming. I can still barely believe it, you know?” 

Jenny grinned. “I can imagine. I’m glad you two found one another. You can just see how happy you two are. It’s like you’re glowing whenever you talk to each other.” 

Misto blushed a bit. “If it’s that obvious, I wonder how we managed to keep it a secret for as long as we did.” 

“Well, people did talk.” Jenny said. “But I don’t like gossip too much, so I didn’t pay it any mind. But I can see it. You two love eachother.” 

Misto took a sip of his drink. He was ecstatic. And super nervous, but not in a bad way. They were going to get married, him and Tugger. There was so much to plan, so much to decide… who were they going to invite? What season did they want to get married in?

Somewhere at the entrance, Misto heard Mungojerrie arguing with someone. A bit worried, he strained his ears. It couldn’t be Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer arguing, right? They had never argued in the time he’d known them. Yes, they frequently pranked one another, but that just seemed to be the way their friendship worked. Their love language, as it were. 

On second thought, Rumpleteazer seemed to be at the bar, having a heated conversation with Alonzo and Tugger over something. Misto stood up, excusing himself to a slightly confused Jenny, and walked over to the entrance to the back garden. The entrance was next to the home, so from his previous location he hadn’t been able to see it.

“No, I’m not letting you in. you’ll just ruin everything. This is supposed to be a good day for the two of them.” Mungojerrie was saying. Misto just got more worried, and started walking faster. When he rounded the corner Mungojerrie’s words finally made sense. It was Macavity.

He looked a lot better than the last time Misto had seen him. He looked healthier, not as thin as he used to. His bald patches were now covered in new, short fuzzy fur. He was wearing a suit that he’d obviously had for a long time, as it was still a bit big on him. His mane of hair still stood up in every direction, but it looked like he had combed it.

“Oh, shit, Misto, I’m sorry.” Mungojerrie said. “I’m trying to get him to leave, but he won’t go. Sorry, I didn’t want you to see him.” 

Misto waved him away and opened the gate. Macavity hesitantly took his first few steps into the garden. “Mistoffelees.” 

“Macavity.” Misto said.

“I… heard you got engaged.” Macavity said. He sounded unsure of himself. Misto forced himself to breathe slowly. “I just wanted to congratulate you, is all. I don’t intend to barge in. I’ll just go now.” 

He started to walk out of the garden and back towards the street. Misto sighed. “Stop.” 

“What?” Macavity asked. He wasn’t as jittery as he used to be. Maybe he was clean. The thought made Misto happy. Macavity probably hadn’t been clean from drugs since he was a teenager. 

“Come in. Have drinks with us. We’re about to have dinner.” Misto said. Mungojerrie’s mouth opened wide. Macavity turned around slowly. 

“Your friends will be mad at you.” He said. 

“You’re also one of my friends.” Misto countered.

“I don’t want you to get into fights over me.” Macavity said.

“How can I have my engagement party without my best friend by my side?” Misto asked softly. Macavity gritted his teeth, not looking at Misto. “Damn you. You’re going to make me cry.” 

“No crying at my party.” Misto said sternly, and grabbed Macavity’s arm, pulling him into the garden. Everyone looked up, some worried, some not. Jennyanydots was smiling. Munkustrap reflexively stepped forward a bit, defending Demeter. Tugger looked confused at first, but then got this huge grin on his face. “Macavity. You made it!” 

“I couldn’t say no.” Macavity said. Misto looked at Tugger, and then at Macavity. “What do you mean?” 

“Tugger here was the one to invite me.” Macavity said. Tugger shrugged. “I found out where he was staying. I thought you’d like to see him. So I went to visit, told him we got engaged, and asked if he wanted to come to the party.” 

“I couldn’t say no, of course.” Macavity said. “He made sure I didn’t.” 

Misto stared at them both, wide eyed. He then ran at Tugger, and kissed him, hard, throwing his arms around him. “I can’t believe you did that for me.” 

“It’s alright. I thought it might be important to you.” Tugger whispered. Misto felt like he was about to cry, in a good way. “It is. It really is. “

He walked back to Macavity, who looked a bit uncomfortable in his slightly oversized coat. Misto turned to everyone, trying to get their attention. He had talked to everyone about Macavity and what happened to him, but never too in-depth. The only people here who knew were Tugger, Misto, Mungojerrie, and Macavity himself. Mungojerrie was giving them both a thumbs-up.

“Everyone.” Misto began, “This is my best friend, Macavity. He’s… he’s in rehab right now, but they let him out temporarily to go to this party. Please be nice to him. If you’re not… I’ll… I’ll make your stuff disappear. Magician-style. Okay?” 

There was silence for a second, except for some people giggling. Then, Tugger started clapping. Mungojerrie quickly joined them, and after that, Rumpleteazer too. Soon, everyone was applauding Macavity. Macavity looked at Misto, and whispered, “Thank you.” 

“No problem.” Misto said. “But I really didn’t do anything. You achieved all of this yourself. And I’m proud of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i finally finished it
> 
> I'm so grateful to everyone who went on this journey with me, and I hope this ending was satisfying for everyone. Every comment meant so much to me, and you all really cheered me up.
> 
> BIG shoutout to my grandma for beta-reading this chapter. Love u grandma
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this!! thank you all.


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